The art of guqin is testimony of the philosophy of the Chinese civilisation imprinted in music. Its ethereal sounds are rendered through the inward and outward plucking of strings which, coupled with a long lingering sound, convey an oriental charm just like that expressed through dots and lines in an ink painting; the lingering sound is similar to the white space in a painting, and the diachronic feature of Oriental aesthetics is accentuated through the melodic changes arising from the alternation of pitches. When making a stereoscopic structure comparison, one might say that (Western) classical music is polyphonic, three-dimensional music, featuring a stronger sense of space while Chinese music mostly emphasizes its melodic flow. The spiritual connotations of different civilisations are therefore reflected in these two utterly different music styles.
In this concert the guqin meets chamber music, lending another dimension to this vivid soundscape, innovatively engaged in a dialogue between civilisations through musical notes. Song of the Ch’in by Zhou Long recreates the guqin’s unique tones and charm through the classic form of a string quartet. This rendition will kick off with an ensemble led by Ma Weijia, assistant principal at the NCPA Orchestra with an incisive sonic reproduction of this instrument, which is then followed by three ancient classics performed by well-known guqin player Chen Leiji. “Decoded” from century-old music scores, these include Fisherman’s Song, Flowing Water and The Soaring Dragon, conveying the thoughts of literati revived in the classic tunes of different guqin schools. At this point, the ancient traditional instrument engages in a dialogue with Western chamber music. Arranged by Liu Yuan for guqin, violin and clarinet, the masterpiece The Moon Reflected on the Er-quan Spring by Hua Yanjun explores the attempt at a more stereoscopic representation of melody. One More Cup of Wine Before You Go, composed by Yao Chen, draws on the ancient Chinese tune Three Variations on Yang Pass, in which the guqin, violin, viola and cello quartet portrays the mutual appreciation and bond amongst people in ancient times. The next work will illustrate the convergence of Chinese and Western music through a role-swapping performance. Sacred Cloud Music, composed by Zhao Jiping, is inspired by an ancient tune of the same name dating back to the Seventh Century. The tune was compiled by ethnomusicologist Rembrandt Wolpert based on two unearthed manuscripts. Some of its guqin melodies were rearranged for a string quartet instead. Towards the finale, F. Schubert’s iconic string quartet Death and the Maiden, initiates a musical dialogue between life and death with the guqin tune The Lonely Mansion, by Ji Kang.
In his essay Music Has in It Neither Grief nor Joy, Ji Kang wrote “music has no fixed image, but it can be shaped by a sad heart”, as he meant to say that music has no meaning in itself and its interpretation differs among different listeners. Arthur Schopenhauer believed “music is a direct manifestation of the will itself”. These two sages from the East and the West both considered music as the best carrier for expressing thoughts and feelings. The diversity of various civilisations arising from their different languages and geographies is harmonised in music. “Priority should be given to comprehension of the tune and its implication”. It is the empathy behind the notes that makes music the common language of humanity.
Zhou Long: Song of the Ch’in for String Quartet
Written in 1982 with the theme of the guqin tune Fisherman’s Song, this piece seeks to recreate the imagery of the poem A Fisherman by the Tang-dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan. Song of the Ch’in links the Chinese and Western cultures by applying the essence of ancient Chinese music into Western instrumental composition. The Guqin is characterised by a rich variety of ornaments, overtones, and fingering techniques – such as the right middle and index fingers plucking inward and outward, and the vibratos and glissandos with the left hand. Rendered in the form of a Western string quartet, this composition draws on the gucin’s technique and charm to express its special rhythm.
Ancient Tune: Fisherman’s Song for Guqin Solo
It is indicated in the score that this song is a grand tune based on the imagery rendered in a popular poem by Liu Zongyuan from the Tang dynasty: “A fisherman passes the night at the bottom of the Xishan Mountain, / and at dawn makes bamboo fire to boil water from the Xiang River. / The fog disperses and the sun rises without anyone in sight; / Only the boat rolls amid the green mountains and waters. / Looking back, he is already sailing down midstream; / Above the mountain are mindless clouds chasing one another.” Otherwise, this song is also imbued with the typical “pure, delicate, muted and profound” qualities, featuring an ancient, muted tune of pleasing tranquillity which soothes the listeners’ breath and evokes enjoyable imagination. This song conveys a refreshing impression by using folk tunes and calls as well as a major second modulation at the coda.
Ancient Tune: Flowing Water for Guqin Solo
Found in the Tianwenge Qinpu (Ch’in Scores from the Tianwen Pavillion, 1876), this is said to be a famous guqin song dating back to the historical Spring and Autumn Period (770-481 BCE), depicting a scene of small streams converging into rivers and oceans to convey praise and love for the Country. The song is well known and widespread among people for being closely associated with the folk story of close friends Boya and Ziqi, who became acquainted with each other in the same period.
Ancient Tune: The Soaring Dragon for Guqin Solo
First found in the Chengjiantang Qinpu (Ch’in Scores from the Chengjian Mansion, 1686), this piece is representative of the Guangling School of guqin and is generally understood to be inspired by the story of Wang Zhaojun as she departs for the border and represents her plaintive misery. According to preceding scores and performances, however, this tune does not convey any misery but only philosophical thoughts revolving around solemnity, freedom, existence and dissolution of the self, and a vague sense of distance.
Hua Yanjun / Arr. Liu Yuan: The Moon Reflected on the Er-quan Spring, arr. for Guqin, Violin and Clarinet
This is a piece originally written by Chinese commoner erhuist Hua Yanjun (Abing) to convey his melancholy and is the most recognised erhu classic in China. It was initially a nameless improvisation by Abing that he called a “spontaneous tune” and his neighbours called it a “tune of the heart”. The trio version of The Moon Reflected on the Er-quan Spring arranged by Liu Yuan is a typical Chinese chamber music tune.
Yao Chen: One More Cup of Wine Before You Go for Guqin and String Trio
This title gained its name after the famous “Song of Yang Pass”, a poem written by Tang-dynasty poet Wang Wei to convey the deep bond between inseparable friends, and draws on the ancient Chinese tune Three Variations on Yang Pass. The composer deconstructed the tune’s major musical motifs from different perspectives and reconstructed the beautiful materials with his own creative logic in an exploration of the collaborative relations between the guqin and a Western string trio, progressively revealing the musicians’ wonderful friendship and rapport.
Zhao Jiping: Sacred Cloud Music for Guqin and String Quartet
This piece is inspired by an ancient tune of the same name dating back to around 640. The tune was compiled by ethnomusicologist Rembrandt Wolpert based on two unearthed manuscripts. The guqin melodies in the second section were arranged for a string quartet in order to create the dialogue between the long-standing Chinese and European music. The counterpoint melodies in the last section are rendered with a cello pizzicato.
F. Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden”, 1st movement
In Greek mythology, the king of the underworld abducts Persephone, the daughter of Demetre the Harvest Goddess, making her his queen. The goddess grieves her daughter’s disappearance by decimating all crops. Not bearing to see such desolation, Apolo, the Sun God informs the goddess of her daughter’s whereabouts. Zeus is unable to revive the earth and sends another god to bring Persephone back, who has already eaten six pomegranate seeds and therefore must return to the underworld for six months each year. As such, everything on earth thrives during the six months of union between the Harvest Goddess and her daughter. The myth, which symbolises the cycle of life and death, rise and fall, has provided inspiration for countless artists, and Schubert depicts the story in the form of a string quartet. He recreates Beethoven’s Sturm und Drang classicalism by making the instruments perform in clashing unison, enabling chamber music to create the thrilling effect of symphonies and imbuing the composition with a strong, dramatic and tragic flavour.
Ji Kang: The Lonely Mansion for Guqin Solo
Only found in the Xilutang Qintong (Ch’in Anthology of the Xilu Hall) compiled by Wang Zhi during the reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming dynasty, this composition vividly relates a myth using music as the narrative language. According to the inscription, Ji Kang was playing the guqin at midnight when there were sudden gushes of stormy winds and eight spirits appeared to tell him of their miseries. The spirits eventually see their injustices redressed and bid Ji Kang farewell in his dream the following day.
Programme note translated from the Chinese version provided by the China NCPA Orchestra and Naxos China