Tian Jiaxin at the 2022 CCTV Lantern Opera Gala. Photo courtesy of the interviewee China News
According to the "China News" newspaper, at the beginning of 2022, Tian Jiaxin made a rather "bold" decision - to accept the invitation of the CCTV Lantern Opera Gala and present a multiple "cross-border" performance of piano + opera + poetry.
China News recently spoke with tian Jiaxin, an international pianist and global Steinway artist, to listen to her story about the creative process behind the show, as well as the story of her "king of Western musical instruments" on the world's top stage since she became an artist.
"Dream back to the Lantern" to find Zhiyin
Alpine flowing water, it is difficult to find. But in the CCTV creative program "Dream Back to the Lantern", the "King of Western Musical Instruments" and the Chinese National Essence have perfectly achieved each other.
Tian Jiaxin introduced, "On the stage, I played the ancient Chinese song "Sunset Drum" with the piano, and the sound of the piano simulated the sound of traditional Chinese instruments such as guzheng, pipa, sheng, zhen, drum and so on. Accompanied by music, Peking Opera, Huangmei Opera, Cantonese Opera, and Hebei Zizi performing artists sang ancient Chinese poems, and the sound of the piano ran through the main melody."
"It took only about two weeks from hearing the director's idea, to completing the arrangement, to finally presenting it to everyone. In this show, the charm of art through ancient and modern is touching, and I hope that in the future, I can use piano playing and traditional art forms to collide with more sparks."
In fact, using the piano to interpret chinese style, tell Chinese stories, and let the West listen to the voices from China is something that Tian Jiaxin has insisted on for many years.
"When I was in middle school, I performed abroad for the first time, and I chose two works, one was Chopin's 'Fantasy March' and the other was the Chinese folk song "Shandan Dan Blossoms Red and Bright". I didn't expect this work to be so well received, many viewers stood up and applauded, it turned out that I could impress so many audiences with a Chinese work."
A few years ago, the experience of playing "Chinese Dream" at Carnegie Hall in the United States also made Tian Jiaxin relish. "This famous composer Zhang Chao's work relives Chinese history, blends traditional cultural classics such as the I Ching, and recreates the sound of chimes, an ancient Chinese instrument, with a piano."
Where words and language could not reach, music arrived once again. This song, which deeply impressed foreign audiences, also became a representative work of Tian Jiaxin's stay at Carnegie Hall.
Tian Jiaxin performance photo. Photo courtesy of the interviewee China News
"The piano is born from the heart" open-mindedness
Tian Jiaxin named his debut solo piano performance album "Qin Yu Xin Sheng", and it is not an exaggeration to describe the young returnee artist with "Qin Xin Jian Bile". To some extent, she and the Chinese pianists of the same generation participated in and witnessed the rise of the international reputation of a new generation of Chinese musicians, and they also followed the trend and used breakthrough artistic creations to promote the "encounter" of Eastern and Western cultures again and again.
Tian Jiaxin was born in Beijing in 1986 into a musical family and graduated with the highest honors from the Manhattan Conservatory of Music, a world-class institution. In her, there is both the delicacy of an artist and the confidence and cheerfulness of a young person.
Boarding carnegie Hall in the United States can often be seen as a symbol of musicians gaining worldwide recognition. There are only a few young Chinese performers of Tian Jiaxin's contemporaries who can reach the top stage. She has performed in nearly every hall in Carnegie, from solo performances to collaborations with the International Symphony Orchestra.
Tian Jiaxin recalls an experience with French player Philippe Entremont, "This French national treasure musician commented after the performance: I like the sound of this Chinese girl, I can't imagine that 80-year-old I can rub such a spark with a young Chinese girl. ”
How do you see the weight and role of China's new generation of musicians on the global stage? According to Tian Jiaxin's observation, China's young musicians have an increasingly broad vision and international recognition, showing a new atmosphere on the stage, "I hope that more and more Chinese pianists can have a place in the world and let more people understand our culture." ”
The piano road is not easy to walk, and female pianists are even rarer. Tian Jiaxin appreciates the shining points of his music peers and looks forward to listening to the voices of more and more outstanding colleagues on different stages.
"The piano is not only black and white"
Over the years, Tian Jiaxin's performance footprints have spread to the top music halls at home and abroad, such as carnegie main hall, Berlin Philharmonic in Germany, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the music plan and itinerary in the past two years have been greatly affected.
"From 30 percent to 50 percent at the beginning of the recovery, attendance at this year's show has recovered to 75 percent. Walking into the concert hall means a beautiful expectation of life and the future, even if only one audience member walks into the theater, I will do my best to complete the performance. ”
In addition to touring, piano culture promotion and piano education are also another focus of Tian Jiaxin's career at this stage. "I hope that the age of eighty or ninety is still active on the stage, but the musical concept must be passed on by education."
The piano art in her eyes is not just the yangchun white snow of a few people. In addition to the concert hall, it can also walk to the Great Wall, the campus, "I also shared on the video website 'when Chopin met Jay Chou' and 'hot pot symphony', classical can also be crazy." ”
In China, there are many children who aspire to embark on the path of professional playing. Tian Jiaxin wants to say to the "piano children" that learning the piano should not be out of utilitarianism, but should uphold the original intention of love, as well as perseverance and awe, and use musical aesthetics to enhance the sensitivity of life, "looking at the piano, not only black and white two colors, but to write a colorful piano life." (End)