Qingdao, August 11, 2019 (Reporter Yu Jianjun) On the evening of August 9, 2019, the first Qingdao Ocean International Music Season "Mozart Is Not Lonely" pianist Jia Ran Solo Concert was held at the Qingdao Ledu Music Valley - Bolansler (Qingdao) Grand Theater. The concert is performed by Jia Ran, a famous young Chinese pianist.
Jaran graduated from curtiss College of Music in Philadelphia in 2011 under the tutelage of piano master Gary Graffman. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne, Germany in 2016 with a master's and doctoral diploma. He is currently a research artist in the International Piano Master Class in Lake Como, Italy, under the direction of the dean, Mr. William Naberi, and is active in the world music scene. In 2017, Jia Ran played the "Schubert Piano Sonata Complete Concert Series" at the Berliner Philharmonic Hall. Two years later, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall again staged the Schubert Piano Sonatas series of concerts, four concerts with almost zero mistakes, such accurate and perfect performance is really rare. Jia Ran's performance at the Qingdao Ocean International Music Festival is characterized by a variety of styles, rich repertoire and high difficulty of playing, showing not only the technical ability of an excellent pianist, but also the comprehensive musical artistic achievements of an excellent performer.
Pianist Jia Ran
The first piece of the concert was the Piano Sonata No. 6 in D major by the genius Austrian composer Mozart in 1775. Composed of three movements, this sonata is a piano piece written for Baron von Durniz, a bassoon and piano amateur during Mozart's visit to Munich in 1774. In the cheerful and brisk rhythm of Jia Ran's interpretation, the extremely stylized counterpoint theme quickly brought the audience into Mozart's musical world. The works all reveal Mozart's genius melodic creation and musical mood. Jaran's light and transparent touch keys emit the same singing sound as is needed to sing Mozart's opera arias and proclamations.
In a pleasant atmosphere, the second work brought by Jia Ran is Franz Schubert's "Second and Fourth Improvisations" (Op. D899). Composed a year before Schubert's death, the D899 improvisational melody is like a retrospective of the dark moments of life in the midst of a dark wave, but in the end all emotions calm down in a slower rhythm. Unlike the brisk and classical rambling of the mozart sonatas of the previous piece, Schubert's improvisationals require a completely different touch-tone pronunciation, a completely different performance, and a completely different musical interpretation. Jia Ran's performance is very accurate to the composer and the style of the work, she pops up the unique singing of Schubert's instrumental works and Schubert's implicit and profound musical thoughts and delicate emotions. After the music settled, the whole audience was silent, and then the applause was thunderous, and the audience was all moved.
After a short intermission, Jaran brought in the second half "Handel Theme Variations and Fugues" by the German composer Brahms. Composed in 1861, the theme is based on the first and second movements of Handel's three Harpsichord Suites of 1733. The repertoire consists of a theme and 25 variations of fugues, making it the most varied and longest of all brahms piano variations, the most classic of the composer's few solo piano pieces, and of course the most difficult to play. Jia Ran's performance is full of elegance and inner natural profundity, just like a composer playing his own work, the external structure layout and the inner musical meaning of the work are very clear. In short, Jia Ran's performance, exquisite technique without showmanship, music gripping without pretentiousness, very natural and sincere.
Finally, Jia Ran returned to the scene to perform the third movement of Mozart's sonata K281, and the masterful performance once again triggered the audience's unceasing applause.
The four pieces presented by Jia Ran in tonight's concert are from three different musical periods, three great musical figures with very different styles but all shining. In Jia Ran's interpretation, she brought her unique elegance and refinement, and presented the music completely, accurately and realistically in front of the audience. On the stage of Qingdao Ocean International Music Festival, more high-quality concert programs will be presented, taking the audience to listen to music and look back at the classics.
Qingdao Ocean International Music Festival is an international event held by Jimo District of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, to help Qingdao build itself into an open, modern, dynamic and fashionable international metropolis, and strive to become a music brand that attracts attention at home and abroad.
With the core concept of "Gathering World Classic Music and Building China's First-class Original Brand" and the theme of "Sound of the Ocean, Heart of the City", the music season focuses on contemporary culture, red culture, traditional culture, Qingdao elements and world classic music culture and combines the major creative needs of the country to select and create excellent symphonic, Chinese music, chamber music and other works of different genres and display them in the music season.
This year's music season lasts for 10 days, and many of the world's top musicians gather in Qingdao Jimo. A total of 11 concerts were staged, including 4 large-scale symphony concerts with the themes of "Qingdao Covenant", "Red Flag Ode to Liberation", "East Singing West Harmony" and "Sound of the Ocean", 3 Chinese music concerts and 4 chamber concerts such as the "Alpine Flowing Water" Chinese Music Master Concert, the "Yan Shi Gao Disciple" Yan Weiwen National Vocal Master Class Teacher and Student Concert, etc. During the music season, Ye Xiaogang, Seinfeld, Lu Wei and Zhao Yao will also hold master class activities. These activities will bring an unprecedented musical feast to the audience in ten days. The addition of composers Such as Ye Xiaogang, Hu Yongyan, Claus Peter Flor, Yan Weiwen, Shi Yijie, Song Fei, Lu Siqing, Lu Wei, Michal Chioldi, Yuan Jie, Liang Danan, Song Yuanming, Tan Xiaotang, Zhang Jingye, Jia Ran, Cheng Haoru, Dong Feifei, Zhu Aowen and other musicians has made the music season one of the most high-profile summer music events in China since its inception.
Qingdao Ledu Music Valley is located in Jimo Economic Development Zone, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, with a total planning area of 3 square kilometers, of which 2 billion yuan has been invested, 1 square kilometer of core area has been built, the Grand Theater, Museum, Music Corridor, Ledu Park, Water Music Stage, Leduhui and other supporting facilities have been put into operation, through the implementation of "one platform, six carriers, eight major plates", has been with the China Musicians Association, the China Music Promotion Association, the National Music Industry Base Alliance, the China Culture Media Group, the China Recording Group, Germany's Bolansler Piano Group, Ledu Music Group, Guoyin Zhenyi (China) Culture media group, Chinese music masters and other high-end music culture "group army" to create a new landmark of music culture in Qingdao and even the whole country, a new platform for music culture, and a new holy land for music tourism.