was written by He
Zhan-hao and Chen Gang in 1959 while they were students of the Shanghai
Conservatory. Musically, the concerto is a synthesis of the Eastern and Western
traditions although the melodies and overall style are derived from the opera
of Shanghai. The original version of the concerto (presented here) has a marked
traditionally oriental colour. In the spirit of the Shanghai opera, the
concerto, as a whole, conveys on a musical level aspects of a traditional
Chinese painting in its light and calm mood.
Chen later revised the
original score in an attempt to intensify the dramatic power of the music by
further contrasting both the tempi and the dynamics of the concerto. The result
is that the later version sounds far more Western and further removed from the
Shanghai opera which inspired its antecedent.
Although the concerto
is written in sonata form it is also strongly programmatic. The narrative is
based on Chinese folklore and tells the story of the lovers Liang Shan-po and
Zhu Ying-tai. Liang Shan-po has been studying with Zhu Ying-tai, disguised as a
boy, for many years during which Ying-tai has fallen in love with Shan-po who
is ignorant of her true gender. One day, Ying-tai is summoned home, where her
family has arranged for her to marry a wealthy neighbour. She is, therefore,
forced to part from Shan-po, in a tender scene by a bridge. After a time,
Shan-po, greatly missing his companion, attempts to visit Ying-tai's house
where he finds out from a servant that Ying-tai is a girl and about to be
married. Only then does he understand what Ying-tai had so often tried to tell
him, and in his bitter despair he falls ill and dies. On learning of the death
of Shan-po, Ying-tai visits his grave and in her grief begs his tomb to open.
There is a clap of thunder, the tomb breaks open and Ying-tai leaps into the
grave, from which the two lovers emerge as butterflies and flyaway together,
finally reunited.
Techniques of the
Chinese string instrument, the er-hu, are used by the violin in this concerto
and this serves to emphasise the Chinese character of the work.
Street Musician
arr. Yan Huichang
San Bang Gu (‘drum with three sticks’), popular in Hunan
and Tianmen, is a kind of traditional folk art form. The theme of Street
Musician is based on the melody of San BangGu, depicting the bitter
life of folk musicians. The introduction provides a background of misery and
the sad tune played by the cello expresses the wretched fate of the musicians.
The technically demanding violin cadenza is followed by a cry of anguish at the
unfairness of life. In a quicker section the main theme re-appears, in
different speed and rhythm, as the music reaches a climax.
Love in Spring
Zhu Xiaogu
Love in Spring was specially written for the Japanese
violinist Takako Nishizaki. By using various folk-songs and operatic themes
from the North and South of China, the composer attempts to show the great
beauty of Chinese melodies transcribed for the solo violin. The orchestral
introduction, its shifting harmonies recalling the changing colours of spring,
leads to a tender and sensuous theme for the solo violin. The melody suggests
the transience of spring or perhaps a dream of the past, the dialogue of soloist
and orchestra like that of spring breezes and the willow. In conclusion the
theme appears in fragmented and poignant form. There is an orchestral
crescendo, leading to a climax, in a work that conveys the character of spring,
something beyond words, a love that embraces the whole earth.
Parting of the Newly
Wedded
Zhu Xiaogu & Zhang
Xiaofeng
Zhu Xiaogu and Zhang
Xiaofeng wrote Parting of the Newly Wedded in 1980, basing it on a poem
of the same name by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu. It tells the tragic
story set in the period of the Rebellion of An and Shi, in which a newly
married couple are forced to part. The piece shows the tragic scene in which
the bride bids her husband farewell, as he is enlisted in the army.
Parting of the
Newly Wedded is in three
sections. The first of these, The Wedding, is based on a work by a well
known Song Dynasty poet. The graceful melody depicts the shy gesture of a girl
waiting to be wed, followed by the loud sound of wedding gong and drum. The
dialogue between violin and cello, with the glockenspiel, shows the deep love
and gentle feelings of the couple, the beauty of the nuptial chamber. The
second part, Surprised by the Change, is introduced by an ominous drum
roll, the Chinese operatic "reckless beat" combined with the free
melody of the solo violin, serene harmony totally disturbed. There is strong
dramatic conflict, as officers come to seize the bridegroom and take him away
to join the army. The bride weeps, as they part, beating her breast and
stamping her feet. The "rapid beat slow singing" of opera shows the
vulnerability of the characters. In the third part, Farewell, the
principal theme re-appears, slow and heavy. The weeping melody represents the
helpless sighs of the bride, now her husband is going to his death. The rapid
cadenza speaks of the girl's indignation, and in conclusion the orchestra plays
sad and grieving music, representing the great tragedy that has taken place.
