|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
169.237.249.178
In Reply to: The Classical Revolution in China. The Hope of the Future? posted by BarneyT on April 4, 2007 at 10:09:46:
The chinese are going to do for classical music what Hispanics did for baseball. The infusion of talent, enthusiasm, and sheer numbers of fans/listeners will be an enormous benefit to everyone involved.In the short run, Chinese performers are not going to have the finesse and subtlety of the greatest Westerners, simply because those who are now of performing age didn't have the kinds of teachers in their youth that someone like, say, Jonathan Biss had. It's important to remember that until the '70s, classical music was not permitted in China, so those who have been in position during the past two decades have had, by Western standards, very little experience and little exposure to the best teachers themselves. That will change.
It's not surprising that many in the West look on all of this with distrust. As the reach of classical music has expanded, the newcomers have always been greeted with caution--or disdain! The Italians and Germans looked down their noses at the Russians, French, and English, and they all looked down on the Americans. The newcomers are always characterized as lacking a real understanding of the music, having no national tradition or style, and essentially being mindless automatons who don't really "get it." Yet all of these nations produced great musicians, and China will, too.
The enormous interest in classical music in China speaks to the power of the music itself, and is great news in what otherwise might be depressing times for classical lovers.
Follow Ups:
"It's important to remember that until the '70s, classical music was not permitted in China, so those who have been in position during the past two decades have had, by Western standards, very little experience and little exposure to the best teachers themselves. That will change."Partly true. There was vibrant Classical Music in China, but after the Communists took over in 1949, and esp. during the Cultural Revolution, this was stopped. At the time of detente, Stern and others went into China. Whatever you think of Isaac Stern, he did influence folks like Sarah Chang, Jian Wang and many others. As a family, we love "From Mao to Mozart," a film made with Isaac Stern and others along with followup features made 20 years later--I commend it to you all.
Excerpt from article cited:
"What Li called for was the revival of a longstanding goal. European classical music has long if not deep roots in China, and it has been associated with modernity for centuries.The Jesuit Matteo Ricci brought a clavichord when he visited China in the late 16th century. An Italian missionary, Teodoricus Pedrini, arrived in Beijing in 1711 and wrote court music for the Kangxi Emperor.
Western music flourished here in the early 20th century. It even enjoyed strong support by Communist leaders until the Cultural Revolution.
When the "reform and opening" policy took hold in the late 1970s, Western music started making a significant comeback. A flow of Chinese musicians to the United States began.
By the 1990s, Politburo members boasted of their love for classical music. President Jiang Zemin said he had consoled himself after the death of the paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, in 1997 by listening to Mozart's Requiem.
But elite support may count for less than the upsurge in popular interest, including millions of parents and youth far outside Beijing, Shanghai and other cosmopolitan cities....."
string instrument playing going back farther then western music. Have you listenened to the subtles and emotion that the finest ehr-Hu player can convey with a 2 string instrument, it is amazing. I have a Chinese friend that plays this instrument and have heard many performances and always been left emotionally and intellectually moved more by this then any western music I have experienced ,talk about finesse and subtley, wow.( and I love western classical violin music a lot).
but don't underestimate the ability of the Westerners to under-appreciate it -- I hope that the East is in it for itself...and not "for the West". I'd be more than happy to acknowledge a "takeover" in this regard -- maybe just an "expansion". But if, in the long run, it's merely a bump in the highway, it will be of little value. Perhaps the West can "mobilize" it's serious art as a "counter-offensive" -- now THERE'S a WWIII I'd like to attend.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: