Tales of the Silk Road
Distinguished Pipa (Chinese Lute) master Zhang Hong-Yan together with over 30 top-level musicians from the Plucked-String Orchestra of China Central Conservatory of Music will make their Australian debut in Tales of the Silk Road. Experience the majesty in a one night only performance at Sydney Opera House on Sunday 6 May.
Combining folk music along the Silk Road and contemporary dance, the concert brings together the Pipa, Chinese traditional percussions and exquisite stage decoration, giving audiences an unforgettable multi-dimensional artistic experience. The concert explores wide-spread Chinese masterpieces with strong ethnic features including Spring of Tian Mountain, Cockfight and Tales of the Silk Road.
During a Uygur tour in 2002, Zhang discovered that both the Pipa and Chinese traditional percussion originated from the Western Region (Uygur regions and part of central Asia), and was inspired to bring the instruments back together in concert.
Pipa, also known as the Chinese lute, is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, considered the king of plucked instruments. With a pear-shaped wooden body, Pipa has a number of frets ranging from 12 to 26, and dates back to the Han dynasty (around 2nd century AD). With a 2000-year history, Pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments, shaping ancient Chinese singing and dancing and a symbol of Chinese traditional culture.
NOTE: Full Price listed is for a double pass
The Pipa and other traditional Chinese instruments sounded beautiful and were played with exceptional grace and skill by the musicians. The natural sound of the instruments and the acoustics of the Opera House Concert Hall were relied on to fill the sound through the room. While this led to an intimate experience, it also proved frustrating at times, as audience sounds were often heard louder than the instruments - think camera clicks, faint whispers and chewing noises.
Overall a wonderful experience into a cultural tradition that was otherwise unknown about.