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 The Year of the Tiger gets an early start this Sunday as the world-renowned Huaxia Ensemble from China performs at the Montgomery College Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. in honor of the Chinese New Year. The members of the Huaxia Ensemble – comprised of winners of national and international competitions in Chinese traditional instruments – might speak very little English but they communicate to all ages and cultures with a mix of contemporary and traditional Chinese music. Huaxia's concerts juxtapose traditional pieces from the T'ang Dynasty on ancient wind, string and percussion instruments and new works by China's greatest living composers written especially for ancient instruments. Western listeners who have not heard Chinese music are in for a pleasant surprise, says Tsung Yeh, Huaxia's musical director, who has worked with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Central Philharmonic Society of Beijing and the Shanghai and Taiwan Symphony orchestras. "The sound is very free, very spacious. You hear something quite complex with the rhythm and pitch." The director adds: "It's timeless and refreshing music to a Western audience – very different to Americans. It's very melodic but not quick-moving like American pop music. It's a wonderful change for the ears." "On our first U.S. tour, we performed first in New York and then in Frankfurt, Ky. – two very different cities, culturally – but we were so well received in both cases," Yeh recalls. "People asked questions, and they did not want us to leave when the performance was over. People even chased us to the hotel so they could buy our CDs." Members of the ensemble range in age from 24 to 37 and are truly masters of their genre, says Yeh. "These musicians are world-class in their own right," he explains. "Most of them play all the instruments of a certain family and play them masterfully. These contemporary pieces are challenging for musicians on ancient instruments in terms of speed and rhythmic and intonation precision." This Sunday's program includes the Huaxia's usual mix of current and ancient. "Song of Chu" is a piece written in 1425 that describes a historical event in which two heroes fight fiercely on the battlefield; "King Chu Puts Down His Sword" is a contemporary piece adapted for the guitar-like pipa by composer Liu Dahan and is based on the same story. Chen Qigang wrote "Three Laughs" in 1996 for a quartet including the zheng, a zither that imitates the sound of laughter. "Ji III (Silent Mountain)," a zheng solo, is explained by composer Qu Xiaosong as simply, "It goes to where it comes from." Qu has composed numerous film scores, including music from Chen Kaige's "Life on a String" and Ang Lee's "Pushing Hands." "Nan Xiang Zi" by Tan Dun is intended to display the profundity and simplicity of primitive Chinese art. The composer's opera on Marco Polo was commissioned by the Edinburgh Festival and premiered in 1996 at the Munich Beinnale. The world premiere of his "Symphony 1997(Heaven Earth Mankind)" featuring Yo-Yo Ma, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Asian Youth Orchestra took place in Hong Kong on July 4. He's known for his experimental projects such as music for ceramics, water, paper and stones. He also composed the soundtrack for Warner Brothers' current film, "Fallen," starring Denzel Washington. Reserved seats are $16 ($14 for students and senior citizens). For tickets and information, call the Performing Arts Center box office at 301/279-5301. |
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