|
Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
Music from
East and West
come togetherHawaii is home to a rich and diverse culture that is influenced by the Eastern and Western worlds. This weekend, the Honolulu Symphony will reveal how Eastern and Western music can blend into a fascinating harmony. Our "East/West Synthesis" concerts celebrate Hawaii's musical traditions and cultural heritage, a heritage that the orchestra proudly supports.
Have you ever listened to traditional Chinese music? Do you remember the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"? The vibrant sound of one traditional Chinese instrument has remained vivid in my mind ever since I first heard it. It comes from the dizi, a flute made of bamboo.
East/West Synthesis
The Honolulu Symphony with Tang Jun Qiao on the dizi:Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall
In concert: 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $16 to $59
Call: 792-2000, or Ticketmaster at (877) 750-4400
"East/West Synthesis" features the mystical sounds of the dizi, as well as works by European composers who mastered the fusion of multicultural styles, even blending American jazz with Eastern essences.
What can you expect from this experience? According to ethnomusicologists, those who study various cultures through their music, the dizi was originally used to strengthen troop morale. Philosophers such as Confucius considered music to be a means of purifying one's thoughts. And, according to ancient Chinese beliefs, music influences the harmony of the universe. You can witness this firsthand in your reactions to different forms of music.
For this concert, Tang Jun Qiao, the lead dizi and bamboo flutist for Shanghai Chinese Traditional Orchestra, will join us on stage in her North American debut.
The Shanghai orchestra is different from most in the West. It performs with Chinese instruments such as the bawu, pipa, zither, erhu and dizi. We will perform a selection of traditional Chinese compositions that, when they first arrived at the symphony, were written in Chinese characters. The translators are now hard at work!
Tang Jun Qiao, lead dizi and bamboo flutist for Shanghai Chinese Traditional Orchestra, makes her North American debut in Honolulu.
What else do we have in store? Igor Stravinsky's "Song of the Nightingale," based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, was composed in 1908 and portrays the story of a Chinese emperor so gravely ill that only the power of music, a nightingale's song, could cure him. I invite everyone to follow the story's narrative by reading Andersen's quotations in the program notes.
In "Song of the Nightingale," Stravinsky highlights the Asian setting by using traditional Chinese scales, known as pentatonic (five notes in the scale), and colorful sounds from the orchestra. The voice of the nightingale is imitated by the solo flute and solo violin.
Stravinsky is beloved by musicians the world over, from rock stars to maestros, because of his renegade role in revolutionizing music in the 20th century. He didn't follow any rules of making music. He also didn't follow other composers who were breaking all the rules and developing their own.
Stravinsky wrote the music he heard, continually reinventing his musical image. He was also renowned for being a stylish dresser! In this sense, he is to music what Picasso is to painting. He once said, "I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I've felt it." You, too, will feel Stravinsky's unique style in this music: strong irregular rhythms, bright colors and sounds.
What I find fascinating is the crystal-clear texture. See if you can zigzag through the orchestra and watch the harps, celesta, muted strings, trumpet, piano, solo double bass, sliding trombones and gong have their moments in the spotlight.
OUR MOST BOISTEROUS work of the evening is also its most diverse. Composed in 1943 by Paul Hindemith, "Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Weber" is as easy to listen to as it is difficult to play. It was originally intended for a ballet with costumes and sets designed by artist Salvador Dali, whose works Hindemith reportedly detested. A conflict of interest arose and the project was dropped, only to be revived three years later as the "Symphonic Metamorphoses."
We can find many inspirational sources for this music: Hindemith drew from composer Carl Maria von Weber, who in turn borrowed from Hungarian gypsy tunes and Chinese melodies first acquired by French travelers. To complicate matters, Hindemith, a German-born American citizen, incorporates jazz elements in the second movement. Talk about synthesis!
The first movement is vigorous and straightforward, while the third is both simple and haunting until the appearance of the flute's tantalizing ornamentations. A Chinese theme opens the second movement, gradually building in intensity until the American element is introduced by trombones. Earth-shattering timpani -- those big kettledrums -- and brass provide the brilliant climax. The closing movement, with its use of snare drum and cymbals, is a stirring heroic march.
This innovative program will pack the stage with colorful instruments from the dizi to the tambourine. I encourage everyone to look around and identify the instruments as they are being featured. Now, back to rehearsals!
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com
