September 12, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_____________________________________________
Chinese
Fine Arts Society joins the World Music Festival: Chicago 2005 in
presenting
the
Qing
Mei Jing Yue Quartet
Featuring:
Jing YANG
– Pipa
Yuening LIU
- Yangqin
Hongmei YU
– Erhu
Weiqing FAN
– Guzheng
Wednesday, September 21st, 2005
7:00pm
at the
Chicago Cultural Center
Preston Bradley Hall
78 East Washington Street
Chicago
________________________________________________________
CHICAGO
– As Chicago hosts its 7th Annual World Music Festival, the Chinese
Fine Arts Society and the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic
of China are delighted to present the Qing Mei Jing Yue Quartet,
a world-renowned Chinese musical instrument quartet making its Chicago debut.
On Wednesday, September 21st, 2005, at 7:00pm, this concert
will take its place in the Chicago Cultural Center’s World Music Festival
Concert Series. Guests will be
treated to the sounds of another world and culture underneath the beautiful and
luminous Tiffany dome of Preston Bradley Hall.
The
quartet, which takes its name from the names of the four artists, features Jing
Yang on pipa, a four-stringed lute with a pear shaped body; Hongmei Yu on erhu,
a two-stringed bowed instrument; Weiqing Fan on guzheng, also known as Chinese
zither, a 21-stringed plucked instrument; and Yuening Liu on yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer with a trapezoidal soundboard. They
will perform a diverse and exquisite selection of traditional and contemporary
music, including both solo and ensemble pieces. The complete program is listed below.
Entrance
to this event is open and free to the public.
Early arrival is highly recommended for this event to avoid standing room
only.
The
Qing Mei Jing Yue quartet will also be featured in a radio broadcast on WNUR
live from the Chicago Cultural Center on September 21st from
12:30-2:00pm.
Concert
Program (subject to change)
1. Rain in My Heart (quartet)
by TANG Jianping
The Mid-summer prairie swayed by a hot wind, the raindrops affects
and touches the meditative world of the composer.
2. Song of Pear Blossom (quartet)
by SHEN Cheng
So green the grass on the Mawei Slope, the Imperial Concubine is
gone forever, tearful petals of blooming pears shattered like snow, the
unbeatable passion disseminated with prosperous spring and fruitful autumn.
3. Spring comes to Qingjiang River (yangqin solo)
by LIU Weikang
Early spring brings green and rebirth to the wakening land;
everything looks fresh and gay, what a vernal scene!
4. Redolent Jasmine (zheng solo)
folk song arr. by HE Zhanhao
The piece was composed in 1991 on the basis of “Jasmine”, a
folk song of Jiangsu. The lyric aria, just like an idyll, praises the whiteness,
immaculacy and intoxicating aroma of jasmine, and fully features the typical
Southern-China characteristics.
5. Deep Night (quartet)
tune of Beijing Opera arr. by CAO Wengong
The title of the piece comes from lines of the Qunqu Opera and is a
well-known tune of the Beijing opera created by generations of Beijing opera
artists.
6. Moonlit Night on a Spring River (trio) Ancient music
arranged by LIU Yuening
Classical solo piece originated for pipa but rearranged for trio.
The music gives prominence to Chinese instrumental presentation and new
performing methods, such as imitating the timbre of drum by zheng, and
tremendous usages of overtone, maddening people find everything new and fresh.
7. The Moon mirrored on the Second Spring (erhu solo) by
HUA Yanjun
HUA Yanjun, also known as “A-Bing”, is a Chinese folk musician
of the first half of the 20th century, who turned blind during his
40s and made a living as a street busker in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. “The Moon mirrored on the Second Spring” is one of his most famous handed down compositions, and was
often played by the composer himself near the Huishan Spring, which is famed as
the “Second Spring” or “Erquan Spring” on earth. The music will take you
not only to the tranquility of night with clear spring water and icy moonlight,
but also pathetic feelings of the composer who suffered all the rubs and worries
of life. When renowned conductor Seijie Ozawa heard this piece for the first
time, he could not help falling on his knees with tearful eyes, and said that
music like this shall be listened to while kneeling down.
8. Ambush from All Sides (pipa solo)
Ancient music
The music vividly pictures an ancient battle scene in Gaixia in 202
B.C. between CHU and HAN. It is featured with the titles of each paragraph and
the rich performing techniques by Pipa running through the full piece and is
regarded as a model piece for depicting a battle with one sole musical
instrument.
9. The Dream of Red Mansions Suite (quartet) by
WANG Liping arr. by ZHANG Lie
Theme of this piece comes from a popular teleplay, the script of
which is one of the four classical Chinese literature masterpieces, the “The
Dream of Red Mansions”. It’s composed by famous composer WANG Liping, and
commissioned as a quartet piece by Mr. ZHANG Lie for Qing Mei Jing Yue Quartet.
10. Waterscape Silhouette (quartet)
by MO Fan
The work is an adoption of folk music from Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Provinces, depicting the elegant landscape and human scenery of the composer’s
native land and manifesting the intimate relationship between nature and mankind
as well as the carefree and pleasant mood of the countrymen. It consists of 3
movements:
(1)
Dark Sampan
(2)
Waterwheel
(3)
Fishpond
Performer Bios:
Jing YANG – Pipa
Jing Yang is
currently associate professor of China Conservatory of Music, member of the
expert group of National Vocational Evaluation Committee for pipa, member of
China Musicians’ Association, trustee of China Academy of National Orchestral
Music and Pipa Professional Committee.
Active in disc
recording, Ms. Yang has recorded and published her solo CDs including
“Pursuing the Sun”, “Warrior King Takes Off His Armour”, “Qilian
Rhapsody” and “Hua Mulan” as well as CDs and videos in solo and concert
versions such as “Pipa Masters Playing Masterpieces”, “Wenji’s Returning
to Han”, “Mengjiang”, “Gloomy Mood of Spring”, “Closer Moon on a
Clear River”, “50 Pieces of Pipa Classics”, “Introduction on Pipa
Music”, etc.
Yuening LIU - Yangqin
Yuening LIU is
currently holding the position of professor and vice principal of the
Traditional Music Orchestra of the Central Music Conservatory of which she is a
graduate with a master’s degree. Ms. Liu composed and rearranged many solo and
ensemble pieces. Her albums include “Chinese Basic Collection of Yangqin”
and several solo albums. Among her academic publications are “Basic Course of
Playing the Yangqin” and “The Art of Playing Yangqin in Guangdong Music”.
The Movie “Flower Bud in Spring” and the documentary “China in Change”
introduced her work to a broader audience. Ms. Liu has held concerts and
lectures in Europe, America and Southeast Asia.
Hongmei YU – Erhu
Hongmei YU is an associate professor of Chinese Music Department of
China Central Conservatory of Music, and erhu soloist for China National
Traditional Orchestra.
She has won the China Golden Record Award for Best Solo Recording.
She is the recipient of the Pro Musicis International Award in New York City. In
February 2002, she had a successful concert tour, which included Carnegie Hall
and Boston concerts. She is the first Chinese musician to win the coveted Indie
Award (1999) in the category of Best Traditional World Music for the CD entitled
"String Glamour". Another solo CD, "Red Plum Blossom
Capriccio" won the Best Chinese Musical Art Production in 1998. Her other
awards include the 1989 Chinese Traditional Music Competition for Erhu and the
1997 Taipei Concerto Competition.
Among her other published music recordings are the CDs "String
Passion" and "Chinese Traditional Music Works." She has been
featured in numerous television productions including the musical video "The Red Plum in Blossom." As
an excellent performer in the world of Chinese music she has attracted wide
attention and is considered to be one of the most talented erhu soloists with
great influence. She is included in a compendium encyclopedia entitled
"Best Chinese Musicians of Twentieth Century" published by China
Musicians Association.
Weiqing FAN – Guzheng
Weiqing FAN is
soloist of the China National Broadcasting Orchestra and a graduate of the
Central Music Conservatory. Ms. Fan recorded the album “Guzheng Collection of
Master”, music video “Qin Sang Qu”, “Songs Accompany the Fishing Boat
Flickering in the Sunset” and
others. She has been awarded a
series of national and international prizes and is a regular guest at the
Beijing Concert Hall.
___________________________________________________________________
For more information, please
contact:
Mei Lin
(773) 391-1963
Julie Ma (773) 281-6250
This concert is sponsored in part by:
The Ministry of Culture, People’s
Republic of China
The Illinois Arts Council
The Department of Cultural Affairs, City
of Chicago
___________________________________________________________________
Founded in 1984, the Chinese Fine Arts
Society (CFAS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the education
and promotion of the Chinese Cultural Arts. In a Chicago’s culturally diversified society, CFAS
provides programs and activities that promote the understanding of Chinese
culture through music and other fine arts.
By presenting broad range of programs featuring traditional Chinese
music, compositions by Chinese composers and performances of Chinese music on
western instruments, CFAS hopes to reach a wide audience of people and heighten
their awareness of the richness of Chinese culture.
For more information on the Chinese Fine
Arts Society, please visit their website at
www.chinesefinearts.org or contact them at info@chinesefinearts.org
The Chinese Fine Arts Society
Sherwood Conservatory Building
1312 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Ill 60605
312-427-6267x183
www.chinesefinearts.org
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