Chinese sounds

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 4

Chinese sounds

By

PHILIP NORMAN

Pipa. Erhu, Goa-Hu, Zeng; Zhongnu, buona, Hu, Quin, Sheng: the very names of {these traditional Chinese in- 1 frirumems have a poetry that evokes a rich and wonderful j vo; id o. sound. In the hands of the mem-:

I ?rs of tite Chinese Folk I’uric Troupe these instru--1 itmts become extensions of tle parformers themselves. J ic.h player is so completely ;■ h.ime with his instrument

list it is spellbinding just to wa ch. let alone listen. The same can be said for ■the three singers in the I -oupe—-Guli (contralto), Lu fOinshuang (soprano)?;, .and Wang KaipangKbaritone). All jfhree have perfectly, tuned Vocal instruments at their dispQ«ql. Chinese sifiging-;>is’;charac-to-iiof! by.’ an; abundance of rrsal t'ocona np o. Gifii'clearly: that this c-’tlirv >s not a peiT’.anent fix-| •—n when shn switched; to ai jiMs r t,„si rny'ctpr (in;; defpr-l -s e n-t-nriV tp give' » r.r tho most jn‘eres H n.2! r-~- fi , of «p p Kari, A p <’ I hpvn over.hep-d.i ' On t'-'e snhioot of the t’aorj, ft’o rnnerto'roACJf: theChinese. T'-nune por'd b£ compared with that of a Maori'

concert .party, in that the Western influences on the traditional music is clearly discernable, and at times dominates. In short, the repertoire of the. Chinese Troupe was an extraordinary melange of styles. Curiously, the rhythmic bounce of Gilbert and Sullivan patter

songs frequently permeated the texture. However, any suggestion of triteness in the music was transcended by the artistry of the performers.

) The sounds of Nature were the inspiration of several • pieces. A, particular crowd > pleaser was a bamboo flute i solo, “Herdman’s New Song,” 1 which was based on a pfolifI eration of bird songs. i .Mechanical romanticism ■ came to the fore witha Lusheng solo by YifYoiigren. . “Train Conies Into the Area : ofiTonq the •' titin of this delightfully de- | ni p ”ve piece. I ■ | There was certninlv evi-'; tir’nn-p of what could be cal'erl J “rmUtic°l” or epropananda” ■ ;mns>c. hut most of this was 'written in •• centuries far disi tont. «iwh; as thn i“Arr>hiish on a'l eulothe de p ds of L'ft Bang 202 RC. wh°n he defeated; .| vir>n<’vu at the battle of I iGaixia. ' >