Tan Dun in conversation with Stravinsky

Author: Tian Wanting

On the evening of October 24, the famous composer and conductor Tan Dun conducted the China Philharmonic Orchestra, together with erhu player Lu Yiwen, pipa player Han Yan, and guzheng player Su Chang, to play the final movement for the 24th Beijing International Music Rhythm that lasted for 16 days in the form of dialogue between Stravinsky and Tan Dun's own works.

Titled "Masters and Remembrance", 21 sets of 24 wonderful concerts were staged. Among them, "The Singing of Life · Art Song Concert to Commemorate mahler's death and the 110th anniversary of Ding Shande's birth", "Ru xi life guangzhou symphony orchestra interpretation of St. Sang and Chen Qigang symphony concert" "new work and commemoration of Tan Dun conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra dialogue with stravinsky symphony concert" Three concerts commemorate the composer master in the way of Dialogue between Chinese and foreign composers across time and space, and at the same time further inherit and carry forward the musical works. With the end of this performance, this year's music festival has come to an end, but the commemoration and inheritance of the masters will never end.

With Stravinsky's early work "Fireworks" being enthusiastically ignited at the Poly Theater, the 24th Beijing International Music Festival also came to an end. (Photo by Cui Jun)

From Fireworks to Firebird

Draw a beautiful parabola

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the modernist musical giant Stravinsky. At this year's Beijing International Music Festival, Stravinsky's weight can be imagined. On the evening of October 12, Stravinsky's opera "The Journey of the Prodigal Son" debuted on the stage of the Beijing International Music Festival and successfully completed its Chinese premiere; on the 18th, the young conductor Jin Yukuang joined hands with the neo-classical chamber orchestra composed of young players after 00 to perform Stravinsky's work "Four Preludes and Fugues in the Average Law" at the Sanlitun Red Pavilion. At the closing concert, Tan Dun conducted the China Philharmonic Orchestra and presented the audience with three performers to present Stravinsky's rare early works "Fireworks" and the classic "Firebird" suite, and dialogue with Tan Dun's "Guzheng and Pipa Double Concerto" and erhu Concerto "Fire Sacrifice".

That evening, the concert opened with Stravinsky's 1908 Fireworks, which is said to be Stravinsky's wedding gift to his teacher's daughter, with impressionistic overtones. Tan Dun said: "The opening of the concert is Stravinsky's work "Fireworks" from his student days. Once, during class, his teacher asked him to write a piece about fireworks. And this work is a firework for the closing of this year's music festival. ”

One of Stravinsky's most classic works, Firebird, became the finale of the night. "This is one of Stravinsky's most mature works." Tan Dun said, "From 'Fireworks' to 'Firebird', just draw a beautiful parabola. My work was in the middle, and I talked to him. The dialogue with Stravinsky is very profound, and we can see China from the world, and we can see the world in China. ”

Musical instruments in Dunhuang murals

Moved to the stage of the Beijing Music Festival

The music master Stravinsky, known as the "Picasso of the music industry", is the "hero" that Tan Dun has admired since his student days, and this performance is not so much a dialogue between the two, but rather Tan Dun's commemoration and tribute to his music on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of the hero he thought of when he was young. The Beijing International Music Festival commissioned Tan Dun to compose "Youth", which mixes rock, Peking opera and atonal music on the 15th occasion, fully demonstrating the festival and the composer's affirmation of each other's fearless imagination.

At the closing concert, the Beijing International Music Festival commissioned Tan Dun to compose the erhu concerto "Fire Sacrifice" for the premiere, the composer combined traditional Chinese sacrificial music with court music, with five emotions to construct a stage sacrifice of contemporary music, imagining the dialogue between man and nature, expressing reflection on war, and praying for human peace. In this work, Tan Dun juxtaposes erhu with symphony for the first time, and the effect is strong and rich, with a deep and long meaning.

Tan Dun adapted a work created for the National Orchestra a few years ago, changing the original works of Gao Hu, Zhonghu and Erhu to Xiqin and Erhu, turning the folk band into a symphony orchestra, making this work a work that can be performed all over the world, and named it the Erhu Concerto. A special instrument xiqin is used in the work, which is the predecessor of the erhu, and the erhu player Lu Yiwen said: "The xiqin is three strings, and this ancient instrument came out of the Dunhuang murals, which is very interesting. ”

Why did you switch to xiqin, an instrument, there is also a small episode. Tan Dun revealed that he had found Xi Qin, an instrument on the mural, while looking at the mural in Dunhuang. "From this mural we began to think about how to turn China's oldest music mural into sound, so this Xiqin became a part of us."

Literary bullets

Classical music needs the power to pass on the torch

The 16-day Beijing International Music Festival concluded with a dialogue between Tan Dun and Stravinsky, providing the perfect footnote to this year's theme of "Masters and Remembrance".

The stage of the Beijing International Music Festival is never short of masters, and there is no shortage of commemorations and tributes to the masters. And 2021 coincides with the anniversary of stravinsky, Saint-Saën, Piazola, Mahler, Chinese composers Ding Shande, Vivaldi, Prokofiev, Schoenberg and other musicians.

With so many musicians, in what way is it more meaningful to commemorate them? The Beijing International Music Festival has chosen to use the dialogue between Chinese and foreign musicians, not only commemorating the composer masters, but also putting the classic masterpieces of famous Chinese composers such as Guo Wenjing, Chen Qigang, Tan Dun, Ding Shande and so on on the stage, which is not only a dialogue between Chinese and foreign musicians across time and space, but also a concentrated embodiment of the Chinese voice blooming on the world stage.

The Chinese premiere of Stravinsky's opera "The Journey of the Prodigal Son", the cello ensemble of the China Philharmonic Orchestra performing masterpieces from South American composers Piazzolla and Erigandou in a lineup of 12 cellos, as well as the famous works of Schoenberg brought by young musicians at the Red Pavilion in Sanlitun, Stravinsky's adaptation of Bach's works, the double piano and percussion version of "The Estement of Spring", vivaldi and his contemporaries, and other concerts, also expressed their tribute to the master from the perspective of young people. The presentation of these works not only makes Chinese voices richer and richer, attracting a more diverse audience, but also embodies the concept of the Beijing International Music Festival to provide a broad stage for young musicians, and highlights the power of classical music to pass on the torch.

As Yu Long, chairman of the Beijing International Music Festival Art Committee, said: "The classical music industry is by no means something that a generation can accomplish, but should be a process of passing on the torch." "Let the world understand the Chinese voice, let more outstanding Chinese works and Chinese musicians on the world stage, the Beijing International Music Festival has been practicing." (Tian Wanting)

Source: Beijing Youth Daily