CHINA: CHINESE MUSICIAN ZHANG WEILIANG THRILLS AUDIENCES WITH STRIKING MELODIES ON CENTURY-OLD INSTRUMENTS

Record ID: 388769

  • Title: CHINA: CHINESE MUSICIAN ZHANG WEILIANG THRILLS AUDIENCES WITH STRIKING MELODIES ON CENTURY-OLD INSTRUMENTS
  • Date: 22nd October 1999
  • Summary: ZHANG PLAYING THE SMALL INSTRUMENT ZHANG'S MOUTH FOUR TRADITIONAL CHINESE FLUTES ON TABLE ZHANG PLAYING A WHITE XIAO, CHINESE RECORDER, AND PAN TO HIS FACE
  • Embargoed: 6th November 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA7U6XOUKLRIE7OTMOMBAJPW2DK
  • Story Text: Chinese musician Zhang Weiliang is thrilling audiences with a unique combination of East and West -- playing striking melodies on century-old instruments.
    These are strange-looking musical instruments.Some of them could even be mistaken for dinosaur eggs.
    They are ancient Chinese musical instruments, dating back thousands of years -- but producing modern sounds.
    Traditional music is still very much a part of everyday life in China.
    Virtuoso musician and composer Zhang Weiliang (pronounced djang-waylyang) has managed to breathe new life into ancient instruments, allowing them to transcend cultural barriers and reach a worldwide audience.
    Born in the southeastern province of Jiangsu in 1957, Zhang graduated from the Chinese Conservatory of Music in 1982, specialising in the bamboo flute, known as the dizi (pronounced dee-zehr).
    Wind instruments are closest to his heart.
    "Compared to string instruments, wind instruments can more accurately imitate and express the inner emotional world of human beings."
    He is now head of the innovative Huaxia (pronounced hwa-sha) Chamber Music Ensemble, playing modern chamber music with traditional Chinese wind instruments.
    Zhang's aim is to make Chinese music more international.
    To achieve this goal, he spent years studying Western techniques.
    In his first recital in 1987, Zhang became the first Chinese bamboo flutist to play the dizi and xiao (pronounced shao) accompanied by a full Western orchestra.
    Zhang excels at three types of traditional Chinese wind instruments: the dizi (pronouced deezerh), the xun (pronounced shoon) and the xiao (pronouced shea-aoh).
    The dizi is a bamboo flute, similiar to a western flute, but with an extra hole covered by a snakeskin membrane which produces a rich tone.
    The xiao, an ancient instrument that can be traced back more than 7,000 years, is from a crane's leg bone.It is a vertically held flute, producing a haunting, melancholy sound.
    The xun resembles the ocarina and looks much like an ostrich egg with holes on top.It has evolved from a contraption used to imitate bird calls while hunting to a melodious instrument with mellow tones.
    Since his domestic debut back, Zhang has explored new frontiers, performing works by Western composers, ancient Chinese folk music and avant-garde pieces in concerts across the world.
    Zhang's most daring experimentation comes in the form of mixing romantic Chinese folk songs with modern compositions and arrangements.
    He opened up a totally new dimension of music in 1994, when he performed a duet in Paris with flutist Francois Bru.
    Never before in the history of world music had the sounds of a classical metal flute mixed and blended together with the Chinese bamboo flute.
    With more than 10 albums to his name, Zhang has also recorded music for a number of Chinese movies, including "Farewell, My Concubine", and "Raise the Red Lantern".
    "The difference between traditional Chinese music and western music is that we lay greater emphasis on spiritual meaning.We try to capture the emotional and spiritual essense when composing or performing," says Zhang.
    Zhang is particularly sensitive to maintaining the primitive essence of ancient wind instruments which carries through to his musical compositions and performances.
    He says there will always be a vast difference between western and eastern traditions.
    "Instruments essentially look the same as from when they were first excavated years ago.We haven't made any alterations on them which could have destroyed its original beauty.We try our best to be faithful to its original spirit in developing our playing skills and creating new music,"
    according to Zhang.
    Perhaps it is his desire to return to spiritual origins that has allowed his music to strike a chord with the emotions of listeners all over the world.
    His musical innovations have pushed the limits of traditional Chinese music and opened a new world of possibilities, full of haunting melodies.
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