attended a Chinese Orchestra performance
The audience numbered about 200, and the orchestra, 40. Among the former group were elderly gentlemen with walking canes, and giggling little humans who appeared to be about seven years old. And, among the audience was a member of my music-making community, an instrumentalist on the Er Hu.
“You came on the wrong night,” he whispered conspiratorially to me. “Tonight's programme focuses on the Principal Players of the orchestra. You will seldom get to see the full orchestra in action tonight.”
Pause.
“Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were only interested in the piano.”
“I wanted to know how Er Hu players make such a sad melody from their instruments. Did they just have a sad childhood, or is it the snake skin?”
“Well, the Er Hu has a competitive advantage over other instruments, in sounding sad,” he replied, in a somewhat matter-of-fact way. As if it were an unsurprising development in the world, as everyday an occurence as a cloud that passes by the sky. Or the ants that come near my favourite cookies. But back to music.
After the performance ended, I overheard an audience member ask the Principal Player: “the piece was meant to highlight the Henan region in China – the people, and their dances, and their music. I'm from that region myself, and I found your performance very moving. I thought you portrayed it very well. May I know how you did your research?”
Pause.
“Well, when I was performing with another orchestra, the orchestra's leader was the very same composer who wrote the piece. I had the opportunity and privilege to ask him, musical phrase by musical phrase, what he wanted to say through his composition.”
That reminds me of a saying, passed down from one craftsperson to another:
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
Question for myself: what preparations am I making for the future, right now?
But, this must be balanced with wisdom. As a proverb goes:
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
- from the Biblical book of Proverbs, chapter 19, verse 21
Well, at least the Principal Player was honest about his diligence.
Let me conclude this blog post with a poem from the performance programme yesterday.
Seeing off Yuan Junior on a Mission to Anxi.
Morning raindrops blanket the dust of Wei City and this guesthouse — and these lush green willows — I insist you drink one more cup of wine to the West beyond Yang Pass, no old friends in sight.
(Translated by yours truly.)
To see the poem in the original Tang-dynasty Chinese language (which was in use in the approximate time period of 618 AD to 907 AD), please head there (the page beyond includes advertisements):
https://www.arteducation.com.tw/shiwenv_12a2295aa76b.html
- fin