Concert Season 24/25 | Master Series 乐季24/25 | 大师风采系列
By Ming-yen LEE
Yan Huichang's Connection with Singapore
Yan Huichang, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Life of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, lived with his family in Singapore for three years in 1992. During this time, he successively served as the Music Director for Naxos (Singapore) Pte Ltd and the Music Director of the Classical Music Department at Form Records. He also led the predecessor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (the People's Association Chinese Orchestra) in collaboration with Takako Nishizaki to record the album The Street Musician. After the Singapore Chinese Orchestra was established in 1996, Yan was invited several times to serve as a guest conductor. Yan has been conducting the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra since, and once every few years, the orchestra tours Singapore, playing to a full house. In 2001, Yan was awarded the Cultural Medallion, the highest honor in the Singaporean arts scene conferred by the National Arts Council of Singapore in recognition of his popularity and contributions to Singapore.
Yan Huichang's Affection for Regionally Distinctive Works
The concert includes works that exhibit distinctive Northwestern Chinese (Shaanxi and Shanxi) regional characteristics, as well as pieces depicting the ethnic minorities of Yunnan and Hainan, showcasing the rich regional features of Chinese orchestral works. Chinese orchestral compositions are deeply rooted in folk music and embody diverse ethnic musical elements. Many Chinese composers and conductors draw inspiration from participating in the annual rituals, daily labor, and ordinary lives of various ethnic groups. As both a conductor and composer, Yan Huichang has similarly immersed himself in this undertaking. He has personally engaged in field research to collect folk music, studying it with great dedication. In his compositions and performances, he has masterfully incorporated these elements, splendidly expressing the unique charm and flavor of Chinese orchestral music in his works.
The opening piece, Triumph, is adapted from Shanxi wind and percussion music and is one of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra's classic pieces during their overseas tours. Composer Zhang Shiye combines plucked and string instruments with wind and percussion music, creating a grander, loftier symphonic effect. Rhapsody of String Puppets expresses Yan Huichang's deep feelings for his birthplace, Shaanxi. Performer Wang Kun takes on three roles: playing the gubanhuai, pixianhu, and vocal. Yan Huichang gradually introduces the audience to the instruments and vocal techniques across different movements, leading to thrilling virtuosic passages that marvellously delight the listeners. Folk instruments are typically difficult to balance in tone with a large Chinese orchestra, but Yan Huichang manages the balance in this piece with perfection. Charms of Hainan depicts the cultural customs and atmosphere of the Li ethnic group in Hainan. The final movement of the piece is both rousingly passionate and melodiously lyrical, allowing the audience to experience two contrastingly intense emotions. Even after the piece ends, the lingering resonance remains, leaving a lasting impression and a sense of deep reflection.
Among tonight's program, another piece inspired by ethnic minorities is Peacock. This piece depicts the Dai people's love for peacocks in Yunnan and fully showcases composer Guan Naizhong's signature romantic style and his adept use of various tonal and chordal compositional technique. The contrapuntal section in the third movement, with phrases at times interweaving, at times standing alone pose a significant challenge for both the performers and the orchestra’s technique. The classic pipa martial piece Ambush from All Sides depicts the battle between Chu and Han through various pipa techniques and tonal colors. Liu Wenjin and Zhao Yongshan have adapted the piece, turning the solo work into a symphonic arrangement. Unlike the flexibility and freedom that inherently accompanies a solo performance, the orchestral arrangement creates a different, more layered sound effect with the symphonic harmony of various musical instruments, aiming to give the audience a fresh and new experience.
Yan Huichang's Personal Philosophy: Why enjoy playing music alone when we can enjoy playing it together!
In Yan Huichang's concerts, the musical arrangement of compositions is unique, in that even audiences who have never heard Chinese orchestral music before can experience a variety of musical styles within just an hour and a half. Whether they are performing classic pieces that have been played many times or new works with him, musicians under Yan’s guidance feel that they can always offer new renderings. The audience tonight is sure to be captivated by the spirit of the music’s myriad evocations and feel the deep, sincere emotions of these beautiful works.
文 / 李明晏
阎惠昌与新加坡的缘分
香港中乐团艺术总监兼终身指挥阎惠昌，曾在1992年间，举家在新加坡居住三年，先后担任新加坡拿索斯唱片公司音乐指导，风格唱片公司古典音乐部音乐总监。并曾带领新加坡华乐团前身—“人民协会华乐团”与西崎崇子合作，灌录专辑《卖艺人》。1996年，新加坡华乐团成立之后，阎惠昌数次受邀担任客席指挥。阎惠昌担任香港中乐团指挥至今，每隔几年就带着香港中乐团到新加坡巡演，场场满座。2001年，阎惠昌获颁新加坡文化界最高荣誉的新加坡国家艺术理事会文化奖，表彰他在新加坡受到的欢迎与贡献。
阎惠昌钟情地域性特色作品
此场音乐会的曲目安排，有呈现浓厚陕西、山西西北色彩的作品，以及描绘云南与海南少数民族的作品，呈现出华乐作品丰富的地域性特色。华乐作品富含民间音乐底蕴，内藏多元民族的音乐特色，许多华乐作曲家和指挥家借着参与各民族的仪式、劳动与生活，从民间音乐之中得到触动与灵感。身为指挥与作曲家的阎惠昌也是如此，他数度亲自参与民间音乐采风，悉心钻研之，并巧妙地运用在华乐创作以及华乐的演出中，在作品中表现出华乐独有的风味和风采。
开场作品《大得胜》改编自山西民间吹打乐曲，是香港中乐团海外巡演的经典曲目之一，作曲家张式业将弹拨与弦乐齐奏和吹打乐结合，音响效果更加滂薄。《线狂》表达出阎惠昌对于出生地陕西这块土地的情感，演奏家王坤一人担任三个角色：鼓板怀、皮弦胡、演唱。阎惠昌在不同乐章让听众渐进式的认识不同的乐器以及唱腔，高潮迭起的炫技段落，也让观众听了非常过瘾。民间乐器向来难以在音色的平衡上和庞大的华乐团相互融合，但阎惠昌将这首作品的音色平衡处理得恰到好处。《海南风情》一曲，描绘海南黎族的人文风情，在乐曲终乐章，热烈气氛伴以抒情的旋律，听众能感受两种不同的强烈情感，在乐曲结束之后，仍感余韵缭绕，令人回味不已。
今晚的演出曲目中，另外一首以少数民族为发想的作品为《孔雀》，此作品描绘云南傣族人民对于孔雀的喜爱，充分展现出作曲家关迺忠一贯的浪漫风格以及善用调性与和弦变化的作曲手法。第三乐章对位段落的乐句时而交错、时而独立，对于演奏家与乐团在技术的掌握实为极大考验。经典琵琶武曲《十面埋伏》，原曲运用琵琶各式的技巧与音色描绘楚汉相争的场景，刘文金、赵咏山改编此曲，将独奏乐曲交响化，不同于独奏曲有着自由发挥的弹性，乐团合奏的交响化配器，让整首乐曲在音色上呈现出另一种效果，希望让听众有耳目一新的感觉。
阎惠昌信念：独乐乐不如众乐乐！
阎惠昌在音乐会曲目安排，对于未曾听过华乐的观众来说，都可以在短短一个半小时内，体验华乐多样的音乐风格。而对于曾经合作的音乐家，即使是演绎多次的经典作品抑或新作品，在阎惠昌的指导下，都能有新的诠释。相信观众今晚能够被不同的气氛渲染，感受到这些作品浓烈真挚的情感。