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发表于 2005-8-23 06:34:47
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XUEFEI YANG
Interviewed by Andrew Dickenson
Xuefei Yang, who has paved the way for Chinese guitarists by being the first to graduate from the Central Conservatory in Beijing, has studied in London at the Royal Academy, played on the same stage as Toto and was given a guitar by John Williams. And she's only 27. NYlon Review spoke with this young virtuoso about music in China, her new CD, and feeling like a pop star.
NR: Your new album, “Si Ji,” is comprised of pieces inspired by Chinese music and instruments. Can you tell us how this album came about?
XY: Dean Kamei from GSP met me three years ago in Frankfurt and heard me play a piece called “Yi Dance” transcribed by myself from a traditional Chinese instrument called the pipa. The pipa is a plucked instrument sometimes called the Chinese lute. We started discussing making an album; he wanted me to record a whole CD of my transcriptions. GSP doesn't like to do the usual repertoire; the label always wants new things. I thought that was a great idea, but it would take a huge amount of time to do all the transcriptions. So we encouraged various composers to write pieces inspired by Chinese stories or instruments or anything relating to Chinese culture. We received many compositions and we had to eliminate some quite good pieces. There is a great deal of variety. For example, Steve Goss, the English composer, wrote a set of pieces for me that I premiered at the Wigmore Hall, called Raise the Red Lantern. It was inspired by several famous Chinese films. Gerald Garcia did a few nice folk song arrangements, and Carlo Domeniconi wrote a piece for me inspired by the I Ching, the famous Chinese book of philosophy. Another piece, written for me by Even Hirschelmnan, is based on new age musical ideas. Dietmar Ungenrank wrote a piece inspired by Chinese paintings. And there is a piece for prepared guitar by the American composer Steve Funk Pearson. This piece sounds a bit like the koto. I think there is a lot of interesting and varied material on this CD.
NR: Do you think that growing up and learning guitar in China has given you a different perspective on playing music that other musicians might not have?
XY: I am not sure if my China-grown background has given me a different perspective on playing music from other musicians. But indeed the classical guitar is still quite a novelty in China today. I was the very first guitarist to enter a conservatoire in China, where I was the first one to graduate with a B.A. on guitar. As the first guitarist in the conservatoire, it was an incredible experience. I felt isolated. The other students had a long tradition of training, playing chamber music together, joining the orchestra and I was just practicing by myself. To them, I was like some kind of freak. Even after I had been there for ten years, I still surprised some people when I told them my principle study is guitar. I felt very frustrated because even professional musicians in China saw the guitar as a street instrument, not serious enough and not difficult to learn. But that really pushed me to want to prove how beautiful the instrument is. I wanted to show them it is a very serious instrument. It made me stronger in a way, and strengthened my will power. I always have a very strong desire to express the guitar.
NR: Many of our readers would be interested to know about John Williams giving his guitar to you. Can you tell us that story?
XY: John Williams was the very first guitarist I knew about and I still vividly remember how I was touched when I listened to his recording of I. Albeniz when I was about nine, and he became my idol ever since. I was very lucky to play for him when I was 17 when he visited Beijing. I remember I was nervous playing in front of my hero, but he was very impressed, and thought my guitar was not good enough for me. When he finished his concert in Hong Kong after Beijing, he called a friend to the backstage, left the guitar to him and asked him to take it to me to play. It was really unbelievable! I have been so honored and grateful playing the guitar which John has played many years. It has been truly a privilege knowing John; he is not only a true musician but also a great person with such integrity and generosity just like his music.
NR: You have said that it was not you who chose guitar, but the guitar that chose you. What do you mean by this?
XY: It was a coincidence. There were no musicians in my family at all; I didn't have a clue what a guitar was at that time. I still remember when my father got me my first little guitar for three U.S. dollars. That was the first time that I had ever seen the instrument. I was a very active child and my mother wanted me to be less hyperactive. She thought learning an instrument would be good for me. So she spoke to the music teacher in my primary school. She wanted me to learn the accordion with her because that instrument was very popular in those days. The teacher was versatile and loved the guitar. She was organizing a guitar group in my school. I was really too young, but she let me in. Then they found that I learned the guitar really quickly and was the best player in the group. At that early stage, I was playing a mixture of classical and folk and also singing. I felt it was fun and felt rewarded I was the best player in the group. As teachers themselves, my parents were keen to ensure that I kept going once I had started to learn something. However, they never thought about me becoming a musician. When I was nine years old I played for an American guitarist Christopher Ashby, in a masterclass in a hall with 2,000 people. He said: "You are very talented. With a good teacher, you can become a first class guitarist.” It was the first time that becoming a professional guitarist entered my mind. But at that time I was still using non nylon strings and had no nails. Next year I attended the First China International Guitar Festival. As the only child, I was treated like a prodigy, and the Spanish Ambassador presented me with a Spanish handmade concert guitar afterwards. Since then, I realized the guitar had became a very important part in my life.
NR: You played at an interesting event called "Night of the Proms," where you played the classical piece Asturias between rock groups like Huey Lewis. What was that experience like?
XY: That was one of the most unusual things I've done so far. The idea came from the BBC Proms that were first founded in order to draw new audiences to classical music. It's a series of concerts with a "pop meets classical" theme. There was a classical orchestra playing with rock and roll groups and pop singers, such as Toto and Huey Lewis from the America. I was performing as the only classical soloist. The shows were mostly in stadiums, the audiences were huge; we had 15,000 people to each show. So it was a great chance to promote my music and my instrument to so many people. It was unbelievable. We performed 54 shows in Belgium, Holland and Germany, including 23 shows in Antwerp alone. Antwerp is not a big city. The concert series had already been going on for 19 years. You can see how popular the concerts are. Some shows are sold out a year ahead. At the beginning I was quite nervous, I was worried that the rock and roll was exuberant, the audience was noisy, and my music was relatively quiet and too intimate for a huge stadium. But my guitar was amplified, and the contrast with the rest of the music worked well. One newspaper review described the Aranjuez as sounding dream like. When I played the solo Asturias on a platform specially constructed for me in the middle of the audience, I felt like a pop star. I was surrounded by security men to protect me as I walked through the audience to the platform in the dark. The audience was electrified when they saw me playing so close to them, screaming and waving to me, they lit up hundreds of little lights followed the rhythm. Lots of people sent me email and said they were moved by my music. I feel particularly rewarded that many people who came to the show for rock music appreciated my performance. Perhaps they'd never listened to classical guitar before, but then got this chance to listen to me and they want to hear more. I think that's good for me, and also for the instrument. In this tour, I also got the opportunity to get to know non classical musicians, and they are interesting people. The entire tour was so well organized. It was quite an experience.
NR: Please tell us five Chinese pieces and their composers that you think would be important for westerners to listen to.
XY: As far as I know, there are only a few leading Chinese composers who have written works for guitar: Static and Rotation by Xiaoyong Chen, Silent Mountain by Xiaosong Qu, Guitar Concerto by Tan Dun. I do hope there are more top Chinese composers who get interested in writing for guitar. I also plan to commission works from some composers. In the general musical view, the most successful Chinese work written for western instrument based on traditional Chinese music so far is the violin concerto called Butterfly Lover, which is a beautiful piece; there is also a very popular Chinese piano concerto named the Yellow River. There are also many very good transcriptions or Chinese style works written for piano and violin. I arranged one of the most well known Chinese piano works, Shepherd Boy and Flute, to guitar for my album Si Ji. Other than that I would suggest westerners listen to some traditional Chinese music, such as the traditional instruments Qin, Pipa, and Erhu etc.
NR: You are a young guitarist at the beginning stages of your career. In fact, you just graduated from the Royal Academy in London in 2003. What sets you apart from other young, up-and-coming musicians?
XY: I think I am quite lucky to have had these opportunities to make my music, as well as most grateful for so many people's support and kind help. Without that I couldn't have achieved as today. It is also an advantage to be a rare female guitarist who comes from China, which has produced many excellent pianists and string players but rarely a guitarist. Above all, I believe it is one’s musical personality and sincerity that makes this musician stand out and wins the audience.
NR: Along those same lines, where do you see yourself 10 years from now? What do you want to accomplish, both guitar-wise and other?
XY: I plan to spend more and more time in Asia, especially China. I think Asia has a great potential for music. Europe and America are already full of classical and pop musicians. Because Asia is developing so rapidly, I believe people automatically want more entertainment and higher arts. Of course, China is taking the leading role in Asia. It's a market of great potential. I would like to make contribution in introducing this beautiful instrument in Asia. I am now about to sign up a recording contract with a major label, which would give me a chance to make such a dream come true. Apart from performing, I also plan to organize some meaningful activities in China in the future, such as festivals, concerts, summer courses and so on. Because the guitar lovers in China are eager for opening their ears and eyes, having good playing and teaching, and more information/material, etc. And many of my guitarist friends are very interested in visiting China. I feel responsible and I am committed to take something back to my country. Maybe in 10 years, Beijing and Shanghai would become totally international cities and by that time I could live in Beijing and continue my international career.
NR: Finally, can you tell our readers how to say "I love guitar" in Chinese?
XY: Wo Ai Ji Ta !
NR: Xuefei, thank you very much for your time.
XY: Thank you very much for interviewing me. I would be delighted if you get a bit of inspiration from my story. I look forward to my visit there and hope to see you there.
--------- Quote: "I believe it is one’s musical personality and sincerity that wins the audience."
Sidebar: Learn Chinese: Si Ji: “Four Seasons” |
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发表于 2005-8-23 06:34:15
发表于 2005-8-23 16:02:15