政府新闻

高科技为中西方文化融合中国传统音乐赋能 2022-08-26

The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra acknowledges the audience at the end of the performance.

The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra's multimedia concert, "Traditional Music Rises from the Sea Horizon," has proved to be one of the most popular traditional Chinese music shows since it became the Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall's residency performance last year.

With an upgraded version, the show finally made a return to the concert hall. The return, initially scheduled for March, was delayed due the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A group of expats was invited to watch the performance on Thursday evening.

Each piece in the repertoire of the concert is an example of the spirit or imagery of Chinese culture. For example, the second piece "Path of Water" is inspired by the philosophical idea "the highest excellence is to be like water" and is performed by hang drum and chiba.

Calligraphy masterworks are arranged to match with the ups and downs of the musical emotion of a zither solo in "Spirit of Chinese Calligraphy," while "Landscape" is played against the backdrop of elements from "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" by Huang Gongwang (1269-1354), one of the most famous Chinese landscape paintings.

The performance also highlighted the integration of eastern and western instruments. In "Into the Beyond," suona (Chinese double-reed horn) communicates with rock band and electronic music.

A group of expats, including British film director Malcolm Clarke (second right), is invited to communicate with the performers after the concert.

Luo Xiaoci, director of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, said she hoped the performance would not only resonate with the audiences emotionally, but will also inspire them to explore and ponder about traditional Chinese culture.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed. It was thrilling and exciting," gushed Malcolm Clarke, a British film director living in Shanghai.

Clarke told Shanghai Daily that he is planning a contemporary film about China.

"I just asked (director Luo) if we can reach some cooperation. I can use historical music in a contemporary way," he said. "I can't wait to call some of my friends to join me and watch the show again."

This round of performances will run through September 2.