Concert Season 24/25 | Chamber Charms 乐季24/25 | 室内乐系列
By Zhang Heyang
Night of Winds is one of the concert in the Chamber Charms series of Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s current season 24/25. It is curated by Yin Zhiyang, Winds & Percussion Section Leader / Dizi Principal, with the artistic direction by Quek Ling Kiong, the Principal Conductor. The SCO Wind Section invites you on a journey that weaves the timeless allure of wind music through the ages, from the ancient melodies of China to the evocative compositions of the Romantic era, and into the heart of contemporary musical expressions.
The opening piece, The Song of Chu, is an ancient melody found as early as in the Ming dynasty’s “Shenqi Mipu” in 1425. The Battle of Gaixia, remembered through the idiom “surrounded by Chu songs on all sides,” dates back more than two thousand years, and the history of the Xun (a traditional Chinese ocarina) traces back to thousands of years ago. This rendition of The Song of Chu as a solo Xun performance will recreate the legendary history of the Chu-Han Contention through the Xun's most unique, mournful, soft, yet penetrating timbre.
The Swan and The Entertainer are two quintessential pieces of Western music that have become part of popular culture. The Swan, originally a cello piece, has been adapted for solo Xiao and will be performed by Yin Zhiyang, perfectly blending the elegance of Western classical music with the flavours of Chinese musical instruments. Beyond a doubt, The Entertainer is one of the most recognisable tunes among the repertoire of ragtime, seen as a precursor to jazz. Adapted for a Suona ensemble by Meng Jie, a SCO Suona player, this rendition injects Eastern vitality into this Afro-American inspired music genre, and explores the possibilities of Chinese wind instruments interpreting Western music. This Blues is not the typical blues but refers to the fusion of the “blues scale” and “traditional tunes.” Composer Hsu Wei-Ting skilfully combines traditional Beiguan (北管) music with the blues scale, creating a style that is both traditional and modern, demonstrating the artistic charm of musical fusion.
Based on Happy Tune, one of the Eight Great Pieces of Jiangnan Sizhu, Beautiful Jiangnan is a Dizi ensemble that exudes the elegance and rich cultural charm of the water towns located to the south of Yangtze River, a region known as “Jiangnan”. Through the music, the audience may appreciate the colourful and diverse timbre of the Dizi family. Music for Winds II is a commissioned composition for a Sheng ensemble, it is bespoke and composed idiomatically to the acoustic mechanism of Sheng as a double reed instrument.
The concert concludes with two extremely beautiful folk tunes, both adapted for Suona ensemble by Jin Shiyi, the principal of Suona/Guan of SCO. The Xinjiang folk song Almihan tells the story of a beautiful woman named Almihan and her love affair, capturing the cultural characteristics and vibrant folk life of the Xinjiang region with its unique melody and rhythm. San Shi Li Pu is a widely known folk song from the Shaanxi region, sung through generations for its simple melody and heartfelt lyrics. The song’s title refers to the distance between ancient post stations, typically the length of one segment of a journey, symbolising a traveller’s brief stop or rest during along journey.
Under the thoughtful curation of Yin Zhiyang and the artistic direction of Quek Ling Kiong, Night of Winds showcases the unparalleled artistic charm of wind instruments like Dizi, Xiao, Sheng, Xun and Suona, through melodies that transcend time, space, and culture while celebrating the boundless charm of music.
文/ 张鹤杨
“吹管乐之夜”是新加坡华乐团本乐季推出室内乐系列音乐会之一，由吹管与打击声部长兼笛子首席尹志阳策划，首席指挥郭勇德担任艺术指导。本场音乐会集结了历史悠久的古曲、浪漫时代的经典以及当代的创新作品，将带领大家穿越时光，体验从古至今、跨越东西方的吹管乐韵律。
开场曲《楚歌》是一首古老的旋律，最早见载于1425年的明代古琴文献《神奇秘谱》。以“四面楚歌”为后人铭记的垓下之战距今已超过两千年，而陶埙的历史亦可追溯至数千年前。此次以埙独奏的形式演绎《楚歌》，将透过埙特有的哀婉、柔和又极具穿透力的音色，复现楚汉争霸的历史传奇。
《天鹅》和《侍者》是两首不折不扣的西方音乐，也已然是大众文化的一部分。《天鹅》原为大提琴曲，本次改编为箫独奏并由尹志阳亲自演绎，将西方古典乐的优雅和东方民族乐的灵动完美融合。节奏摇摆怪诞的拉格泰姆（ragt ime）被视为爵士乐的前身之一，而拉格泰姆中当属《侍者》一曲最广为流传。由本团唢呐演奏家孟杰为唢呐重奏改编移植的《侍者》为这首乐曲注入了东方活力，展示了吹管乐器演绎西方音乐的无限可能。此《蓝•调》非彼“蓝调”，而是指“蓝调音阶”和“传统曲调”的融合。作曲家徐玮廷将传统北管音乐与蓝调音阶巧妙糅合，创造出一种既传统又现代的音乐风格，展现了音乐融合的艺术魅力。
以江南丝竹八大曲之一《欢乐歌》为基础创作的《江南好》是一首笛重奏，观众将从中听到浓浓的水乡风韵，更可细细品味其中梆笛的嘹亮、曲笛的婉转和大笛浑厚的音色。《气乐II》则是专门为笙重奏量身定做的乐曲，以吹管乐器的气鸣原理得名。音乐会的尾声将带来两首具有浓厚地域文化特色的作品，都是由本团唢呐/管首席靳世义为唢呐重奏改编。新疆民歌《阿拉木汗》讲述了一个关于爱情和美丽的女子阿拉木汗的故事，以其独特的旋律和节奏，捕捉了新疆地区丰富的文化特色和生动的民俗生活。《三十里铺》则是陕北地区家喻户晓的一首民歌，它以朴实无华的旋律和深情的歌词，传唱了一代又一代。歌曲名字中的“三十里铺”指的是古代驿站之间的距离，通常为一段旅途的长度，象征着旅人在漫长旅途中的一次短暂停留或休息。
在尹志阳的精心策划和郭勇德的艺术指导下，“吹管乐之夜”向大家展示了笛、箫、笙、埙、唢呐等吹管乐器无与伦比的艺术魅力，更以跨越时空、地域、文化的旋律，展现音乐无限的魅力。