Grand Chinese folk music production makes U.S. premiere

A grand Chinese folk music performance, "Rediscover Chinese Music," made its U.S. debut here at the Kennedy Center Opera House Friday.

The ten-program performance, a creative production from the world-renowned China National Traditional Orchestra, combines the expansive sounds of a 110-piece orchestra with story-telling, technical innovation and stunning multimedia backdrops.

The programs include High Mountain Flowing Water, Parting at Yangguan Pass, Silk Road, The Moon Reflected on the Er-quan, Ambush from Ten Sides and Spring Festival Overture.

"Rediscover Chinese Music is solidly grounded on Chinese traditional aesthetics," said the orchestra's president Xi Qiang, a seasoned performer on bowed string instruments and an ethnomusicologist.

"In this production, our treatment of every instrument, every classical work, performance practice, even the stage and sets, are innovative yet true to the roots of authentic traditions," he said.

"We inject new ideas into masterpieces, amplifying the soul and the power inherent in traditional Chinese music ... I am confident Rediscover Chinese Music will touch the audience, inspiring them to appreciate the heritage and ponder the future of traditional Chinese music," he said.

The production is directed by Wang Chaoge, one of the most innovative and original directors of her generation in China, a member of the core creative team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the director and curator of the 2010 World Expo China Private Museum.

"Culture has a leading power. I hope that our unique artistic and aesthetic perspective allows performers to resonate with the viewers, so that more audiences will accept, understand and love our Chinese national music," said Wu Yuxia, the orchestra's deputy president.

"It was moving ... It was beautiful," said Deanna Douglas, one of the nearly 2,000 who came to the premiere.

Daniel Wright, a business man, said that compared to the traditional way of performing Chinese music, the show was "more accessible" while maintaining the sophistication of traditional Chinese music.

Founded in 1960, under the guidance of China's late Premier Zhou Enlai, the China National Traditional Orchestra is a state-level art-performing institution directly administered by China's Culture Ministry. Members of the orchestra are highly esteemed musicians both at home and abroad. Endi