The Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy". Courtesy of Shanghai Grand Theatre
Zhongxin Online Haihai January 1 Title: Dunhuang Relics "Out" Of The Millennium Mural and "Weave" New Year Blessings
Written by Wang Ji
Dunhuang rebound pipa, phoenix head basket, Dunhuang Xiqin... On the stage, when the music master Tan Dun personally developed and restored Dunhuang ancient musical instruments and played together with traditional Chinese national instruments, the Dunhuang ancient music sealed in the mural seemed to "come alive", unveiling the prosperity and beauty of the former Silk Road.
On the evening of December 31, 2021, as the New Year concert of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra commissioned Tan Dun to compose the Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy" to premiere in the world, and sent New Year wishes to the lovers with the national voice that integrates Dunhuang art, Oriental philosophy and contemporary poetry. This edition of "Ode to Dunhuang Mercy" is based on Dunhuang murals and folklore, and is divided into six acts: "Bodhi Tree", "Nine Colored Deer", "Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes", "Zen Garden", "Xuanzang Donggui", and "The Other Side", showing the philosophical ideas and humanistic values of Dunhuang culture on the ancient Silk Road.
Different from the previous symphonic version, the Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy" draws on the ancient music of Dunhuang music and dance and the court music of the Tang Dynasty on the basis of dozens of round-trip dunhuang style learning, highlighting the timbre charm and rhythm characteristics of ancient Chinese music. "There are more than 500 bands painted in the Dunhuang murals, and the super-large bands shown in the murals in cave 148 make the history of band formation a thousand years forward." In Tan Dun's view, those Dunhuang murals that "do not drum and sound themselves" are paintings that embrace the universe with ideas and pass on art to future generations: to be a human being, to dedicate compassion, and to create human kindness and peace.
In the Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy", there are several dunhuang ancient instruments that "have to be said", which are new challenges and breakthroughs for folk music players and Tan Dun himself.
The Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy". Courtesy of Shanghai Chinese Orchestra
The Dunhuang Xiqin in the hands of Lu Lu, an erhu player of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, can be seen as the ancestor of the erhu, but there is a big difference in the appearance and feel of the playing, and the "yellow silk string" is quite promising. Tan Dun revealed that he had visited Nara, and the local master told him that the people in the village were all Chang'an people eight generations ago, and the strings made by the ancestors during the Tang Dynasty were yellow. "One is because the yellow strings are stronger than the white ones and sound good; the other is because the yellow silk strings represented the 'sound of the heavens' in Chang'an at that time." Therefore, we chose the yellow silk string made by the ancient Chang'an string making process this time. ”
The phoenix head basket in the concert is based on the one-to-one restoration of the Dunhuang mural phoenix head basket with a row of strings, which is more in line with and convenient for modern performance. This is the first time that Tan Dun has officially written the Fengshou Zhenzhen into his own work, according to him, this ancient musical instrument was restored by a young generation of craftsmen in the Shenzhen Musical Instrument Factory using 3D printing technology and other scientific methods. The restored Fengshou Zhenyi was paired with a "flying dance", which made Liu Xuanyi, a performer of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, can't help but sigh: "When you pluck the strings, you feel like the flying goddess who plays the flute." ”
In Tan Dun's view, Chinese pay attention to "resigning the old and welcoming the new" in the New Year, and there will be a sense of joy when seeing parents put on new clothes. The Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy" integrates the sound and aesthetics of the Dunhuang Great Band, some of the manuscripts and themes in the Tibetan Scripture Cave, and for him it is also like the New Year, to "put on new clothes" for Dunhuang ancient music and traditional Chinese art and culture.
Music master Tan Dun. Courtesy of Shanghai Grand Theatre
"How to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new on the occasion of the new year, and find the 'light of wisdom' of the new era? The oriental wisdom reflected in Dunhuang culture has given us a lot of inspiration. Being able to devote myself to creating new voices for ancient musical instruments and writing about the inspirational and anticipative attitude of young people in the future is my original intention in creating "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy". ”
Time goes back, when Tan Dun first went to Dunhuang, he entered the cave for several hours, and the notes on the book were densely written. Later, when she met Fan Jinshi, who was known as the "daughter of Dunhuang", she said: "Mr. Tan, if you look at these murals, you have to come here to see them." Can you turn murals into sounds? So that you can hear about a Silk Road elsewhere. This poetic idea touched Tan Dun.
Many years later, "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy" was "born" in the world, and a dialogue made Tan Dun particularly moved: What is the Silk Road? It is the invisible road. This invisible path connects the visible heart. (End)