We often see Chinese bowed string instruments, especially the erhu, in concert as solo instruments, or as part of the full orchestra. In this thoughtfully curated concert by Concertmaster Li Baoshun and Erhu I Principal Zhao Jianhua, the bowed strings section of the SCO promises a night of musical variety, presenting repertoire representing different musical styles through a myriad of instrumental forces, with adaptations of famous traditional pieces as well as newer contemporary compositions.
The concert opens with a world premiere of The Taking of Tiger Mountain, a piece adapted from excerpts from the famous modern Peking opera “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”, showcasing the musicians’ virtuosity as they tackle technically demanding passages that also require a deep understanding of the musical language and style of Peking opera, as well as a high degree of ensemble cohesiveness.
Another familiar favourite on the programme is Reflection of the Moon on Erquan, adapted from the famous erhu classic of the same title. While not virtuosic in the same manner, this piece is similarly demanding on the musicians as it requires immense coordination and intricacy with regards to the execution of traditional huqin techniques as well as the various musical nuances.
Other pieces that may also be familiar to the audience include Carlos Gardel’s Por Una Cabeza and Concerto in A minor, Mvt I, which was adapted from J.S. Bach’s violin concerto in A minor. The popularity of Gardel’s original song was boosted notably by the iconic tango scene in Martin Brest’s 1992 film Scent of a Woman, which featured an arrangement of the song for strings, accordion, and piano. The version performed in tonight’s concert is for a bowed stringed sextet, adding on to the list of arrangements and adaptations made based on the song. Bach’s violin concerto in A minor is a piece familiar particularly to classical audiences, showcasing Baroque-style violin virtuosity. These pieces stand in stark contrast to The Taking of Tiger Mountain and Reflection of the Moon on Erquan in terms of musical style and language, and present different technical and musical demands, such as in the use of vibrato or in terms of musical phrasing, allowing the SCO bowed string musicians to showcase their versatility and breadth of musical understanding.
Apart from familiar pieces, the programme also features newer compositions by living composers. These pieces, however, mostly draw upon elements of traditional Chinese culture or folk influences in tandem with a wider palette of musical languages, including Western harmonies and counterpoint.
Yang Chunjia’s To the Tune “As if in a Dream”, for huqin ensemble, is an example of a contemporary composition that alludes to traditional poetry. Based on Song dynasty female poet Li Qingzhao’s poem As if in a Dream, the poetic lyricism and intimate character of the piece is aptly conveyed through the singing and nuanced tone of the huqin. Li Bochan’s Bow and Strings is another piece that features solely huqin. Though it draws upon elements of traditional Chinese folk music, it also features contrapuntal writing and a wider palette of harmonic languages, again showcasing the expressive capabilities and versatility of the huqin. Another piece that showcases a variety of harmonic languages is Rui Xue’s Nature Abounding, which features the huqin with the addition of the piano. This piece differs from the other pieces on the programme tonight in that it does not carry with it any explicit association to traditional Chinese elements, and represents a sort of compositional aesthetic that seeks to engage purely with the huqin in terms of its acoustical and technical characteristics, independent from its cultural background.
But it is not only the huqin that takes the limelight tonight. In Sha Hankun’s Pastoral, the cello and the double bass take centre stage in a new arrangement by local composer Ong Jiin Joo. Originally composed for the violin and piano in 1953, this new adaptation preserves the warm lyricism of the original piece while adding to the acoustic depth of the music.
The concert closes with the entire bowed string section of the SCO presenting Li Bochan’s Eagle Totem. The addition of the percussion parts contributes to the grandeur of the piece, making for a rousing ending piece to an otherwise intimate programme.
While the SCO has presented bowed string ensemble pieces on past concert programmes before, concertmaster Li Bao Shun notes that this concert is the first one in which the entire programme consists solely of bowed string ensemble repertoire. Through such a programme featuring diverse repertoire for bowed string instruments in various combinations, the SCO hopes to fully showcase the scope of technical and musical expression of their bowed strings section.
Programme notes by Jon Lin CHUA
Date: 23 February 2024
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: SCO Concert Hall
Ticket price: $30
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在一般的华乐演奏会当中，我们经常见到胡琴乐器，尤其是二胡，担任独奏乐器的角色，或是以群体形式在大乐队中亮相。在这场由乐团首席李宝顺以及二胡I首席赵剑华精心策划的音乐会中，新加坡华乐团的弓弦乐声部将会通过各种组合配搭呈现许多改编过的传统曲子，以及一些比较新的作品或是移植曲子，音乐风格多样化，聚齐古今中西的元素。
音乐会以现代京剧《智取威虎山》中之选段改编的《林海雪原》开场，充分地考验演奏家们对于京剧唱腔转化至乐器演奏上的技术、乐曲风格、以及集体配合之诠释与掌握。此外，音乐会上另一首耳熟能详的曲子《二泉映月》改编自作曲家阿炳的二胡经典之作，以集体弓弦乐声部的编配呈现。虽然少了《林海雪原》中那种炫技的成分，此曲对于乐手们在音乐性上同样具有挑战性，考验他们在音腔与中国音乐最重要的气、韵细节的处理以及群体配合度。
节目上其它熟悉的曲子也包括卡洛斯·加德尔的《一步之遥》以及由约翰·巴赫的小提琴协奏曲改编的《A小调协奏曲》第一乐章。加德尔1935年原创的流行曲在马丁·布莱斯特1992的电影《女人香》中以弦乐、手风琴、及钢琴的形式亮相，重振了这首曲子的受欢迎程度。这场音乐会上的版本则是给华族弓弦乐六重奏的组合演奏，为这首已改编过无数版本的曲子再添加多一个版本。巴赫的《A小调小提琴协奏曲》也是一般古典听众非常熟悉的一首曲子，充分展出巴洛克托卡塔式的展技曲风。这两首作品除了与《林海雪原》以及《二泉映月》曲风上形成强烈对比，技巧上的挑战也不一样，譬如在揉弦上或是分句上都必须一不一样的方式处理，足以让新加坡华乐团的弓弦乐乐手们充分发挥及展现他们多方面的音乐理解以及娴熟的技巧。
除了这些耳熟能详的作品之外，这场音乐会也包含了一些由当代作曲家所创作的作品。这些乐曲也多数结合了传统中国文化与民歌元素与西方和声、对位等手法。
杨春甲的胡琴重奏曲《如梦令》正是一首采用古代诗歌素材的当代曲。此曲素材取自宋朝词人李清照的《如梦令》，而胡琴及富有歌唱性又细腻的音色能充分地体现出此曲的诗情画意。李博禅的《弓弦舞》也是另一首纯胡琴曲。此曲虽采用中国民传统间音乐素材，但也结合了一些非中国传统音乐的作曲手法，例如对位法以及变化和音，足以让乐手们表现出胡琴丰富的表现力。芮雪的《无垠大地》同样采用各种不同的和声语言，配器中也融入了钢琴。在今晚的节目中，这首是唯一没与中国传统元素有任何明确关系的曲子，主要是表现二胡的音色以及技巧特性。
在今晚的音乐会上，引人注目的不仅仅是胡琴。沙汉昆的《牧歌》在1953年原为小提琴与钢琴而作，而今晚呈现的版本，则是由本地作曲家王瑾瑜改编给大提琴与倍大提琴的的重奏，把焦点转移到新加坡华乐团的低音声部。这样的改编既保留了原曲优美动听的旋律，又给这首曲子增添一些音响上的厚度。
此音乐会由乐团全体弓弦乐声部演奏李博禅的《鹰•图腾》压轴。此曲以打击乐的加入增添气势，让这场较为亲密的演奏会轰轰烈烈地画上句号。
新加坡华乐团虽然在之前的节目上呈现过一些个别的弓弦乐重奏曲，乐团首席李宝顺老师指出今晚这场音乐会则是华乐团首次以纯弓弦乐重奏曲构成的节目。乐团希望通过这样一场呈现不同弓弦组合及曲风多样化的音乐会上，充分地展现出本团弓弦声部整体的技术水平及音乐表现能力。
日期：2024年2月23日
时间：下午7点30分
地点：新加坡华乐团音乐厅
票价：$30
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