JUNE 26, 2007 @ 7:30 PM
Melody of the Dragon
Chen Tao, Director
Introduction of Chinese Music and Chinese Musicians by Chen Tao Ensemble
1. Song of Joy – Silk & Bamboo music
A melody in the unique style of folk music known as Jiong Nan Si Zhu or literally music of silk and bamboo, from the region south of the Yangtze River. The richness and natural beauty of this region are all reflected in its music. The exquisite sounds of silk strings and warm tones from bamboo wind instruments are fully utilized in long, flowing melodic lines which, overlapping or in unison, produce a rich tonal texture.
2. Step by Step – Cantonese Music
This piece is drawn from the Cantonese School of Music, a regional school of Chinese folk music. It is highly descriptive, characterized by vitality and inventiveness and usually played by a small group when each player extemporizes on the same tune and the leader, playing the gaohu, sets the pace.
YangQin solo:
3. Spring Arrives on the Qin River – Liu Wei-Kang
A beautiful minor theme in traditional pentatonic style is unfolded gradually, suggesting the majestic flow of the river. A propulsive second theme appears, and then swirls into an ascending sweep of notes, which ebb away before the first theme reappears. The Qin River is in Hubei province.
Erhu Solo:
4. Second Spring Mirroring the Moon – Folk music
The Second Spring is a famous scenic spot in the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province. This composition by the blind street musician Hua Yan-jun (pseudonym A Bing) is a fanciful impression of nature. Written during the 1920’s, it is free of borrowed Western technical innovations so typical of the more contemporary compositions.
5. Mongolian Horse Race – Huang Hai-Huai
The happy and festive spirits of a harvest celebration are captured in this simple folk tune. Various techniques for the erhu (two-stringed fiddle) such as bowing and plucking are used to describe the annual horse race held during the celebration.
Bawu solo:
6. Fisherman’s Song – Yang Tie-Ming
The bawu is a transverse reed flute that is the favorite instrument of the Yi and Miao minority people in southern Yunnan province. The musical material is derived from their native tunes and dance rhythms.
Ensemble:
7. Autumn Moon over the Placid Lake – Cantonese Music
Cantonese music is a distinctive school of Chinese folk music. It is highly descriptive, characterized by vitality and inventiveness and usually played by a small group where each player extemporizes on the same tune and the leader, playing the goad, sets the pace. Set in the great seaports of southern China, Cantonese music was exposed early to western influences.
8. Thunder in a Drought – Cantonese Music
In the performance of Cantonese music, the gaohu leads the ensemble in unison playing enriched by melodic ornamentations
Ensemble:
9. Sanliu (Three Six) – Silk & Bamboo Music
This instrumental piece is a popular overture for Ping-Tan, (also called Tan Ci), a narrative song genre native to the Suzhou area. Sanliu, meaning “three-six,” refers to the musical structure in which various melodic themes are separated by a refrain which also appears at the introduction and coda.
Ping-Tan or Tan Ci is a simplified format of local opera, somehow like a storyteller, but most of time, the story is signing by two performers and also accompanied by Pipa or ShanXian (3 strings long-neck plucking instrument). The singer is also the instrument player.
10. Hebei Hua Bangzi – Opera music
This composition for solo banhu and orchestra accompaniment consists of tunes taken from the “Hebei Bangzi” style of operas. This folk opera uses the bangzi, which is a percussive wooden block and striker, as the main rhythmic support and the banhu as its lead accompaniment for the singing. The lively interplay between the banhu and the orchestra creates colorful effects.
11. Trace of Bamboo- -By Tan Dun
The Reflective mood provides the setting for the composer to contemplate the evolution of the dizi as a metaphor for man’s journey through life. Unconventional techniques such as double tone production, percussive imitation, and blowing through the note holes external the instrument’s performance techniques and enrich its musical vocabulary.
Pipa Solo:
12. Ambushed from Ten Sides: – Classical Music
This piece depicts the decisive battle that established the rule of the Han dynasty in the year 206 B.C. This piece depicts the battle from the vantagepoint of the winning side, while another famous piece, “The Warlord Casts off Armor”, depicts the viewpoint of the losing side. “Ambushed from Ten Sides” has been part of the solo pipa repertoire for centuries. It is the most famous work in that repertoire, and also one of the most technically demanding, requiring extreme concentration, endurance, and emotional intensity. Part of the difficulty of this piece is associated with the complex techniques used to suggest the clash of metal on steel, firing of cannons, and screams of the wounded.
Dizi solo:
13. Trip to Gusu: – Jiang Xian-Wei
Elegantly rounded tones and fluid melodic phrases capture the scenic beauty of the Jiangnan region.
14. New Song of the Herdsmen: – Jiang Guang-Yi
A sample of the new programmatic music popular in China today. It describes in a vivid manner a day in the life of the herdsmen.
15. Birds Amid Tree Shadows – Liu Guan-Yue
A virtuosic display using the dynamic tone colors of the bangdi. The music portrays a scene from nature in which a hundred birds contend. The bangdi is a small Chinese flute, usually used for playing the music of Northern style. The big Chinese flute is called Qudi, usually used for playing the music of Southern Style.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dizi = Chinese Bamboo flute
Erhu = Chinese two-string fiddles
YangQin = Chinese hammered dulcimer
Pipa = Chinese Pear shaped lute
Ruan = Chinese Round shaped lute
ZhongHu = Chinese two-string fiddle, mid-size