cover news reporter He Jinlan
The Singapore Chinese Orchestra made its debut at the National Center for the Performing Arts in China.
On April 5, the second performance of the National Center for the Performing Arts' "Spring of Chinese Music" "Long Lion City" concert by Ye Cong and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra will be held in Beijing.
After thousands of years of inheritance and centuries of dissemination, the music originating from the land of China has different names at home and abroad. "Folk music", "Chinese music", "Chinese music" and "Chinese music", behind these names are the thousand-year continuity and blood connection of Chinese sound.
Ye Cong, honorary conductor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Photo provided by interviewee
Ye Cong, honorary conductor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. On the evening of March 31, he joined the China National Traditional Orchestra and four conductors from Taiwan’s Hsinchu Youth Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chinese Orchestra, and the Macao Special Administrative Region Chinese Orchestra to perform on the same stage. The 74-year-old said bluntly, "I am very happy to make friends through music." During the break between
rehearsals, Ye Cong accepted an exclusive interview with cover news. From Shanghai to Beijing, from the United States to Singapore, from Western music to folk music, he recounted his nearly seventy-year musical journey.
music
“I feel so close to Beijing when I see it”
“The first time I came to Beijing was in 1966.” Ye Cong said with a smile, he should be an “old Beijinger”.
Ye Cong was born in Shanghai in 1950. He studied piano at the age of 5. At the age of 13, he was admitted to the primary school affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music and later to the high school affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He once taught piano at Anhui Art Institute, and then transferred to the Beijing Oriental Song and Dance Troupe. "That was from 1977 to 1979, as a piano player."
Ye Cong and his father in childhood. Photo provided by the interviewee
In 1981, 31-year-old Ye Cong got the opportunity to study abroad and went to the United States to study conducting. After winning a competition in 1983, he joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as associate conductor and later became the music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Going to Singapore, Ye Cong described it as a "coincidence". "At that time, I was still working in the Nan'an Symphony Orchestra in Indiana. In September 2001, I was invited to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as a guest conductor for a week. Unexpectedly, I received another invitation a week after the performance."
Ye Cong said that the Singapore Chinese Orchestra wanted him to As music director, he was worried that he had conducted Western symphonies before and was not ready at all. "The other party said there is no need to worry. Singapore is a place where Chinese and foreigners combine. English is the main language, but the majority are Chinese."
In the end, Ye Cong, who had been observing the orchestra for three days, decided to implement it on a trial basis for three years. "Who knew that this trial would last twenty years. I have a characteristic that I like to accept some challenges."
"At that time, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra introduced many talents from China's Central Chinese Orchestra and Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, and some Singapore’s talents. I thought about how to combine the three groups to create an orchestra with a Singaporean style. After trying it for less than three years, I found that I knew a lot about folk music,” said Ye Cong.
Ye Cong and his wife Huang Xiulan took a photo with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Picture provided by the interviewee
In fact, Ye Cong has been influenced by folk music since he was a child. His mother, Zhang Renqing, is a vocal music professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. "Erhu Master" Lu Xiutang and "Erhu Queen" Min Huifen are both my mother's friends. Although his teacher Huang Yijun is a professional symphony conductor, he can also play the erhu very well.
"The work of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra has awakened my inner memory of folk music." Ye Cong not only further in-depth exposure to and learning of folk music, but also developed and innovated on the road of folk music.
In 2023, at the age of 73, he became the "honorary conductor" and opened a new "movement" of the Singapore Folk Orchestra.
In the past ten years, Ye Cong has been invited to serve as the chief guest conductor of the China National Traditional Orchestra, and has conducted important concerts such as "Xuan Zang's Journey to the West" and "Ode to Peace". "I am quite familiar with the capital. It can be said that I feel particularly close to the capital when I see it."
Ye Cong and his wife are in Los Angeles, USA. Photo provided by the interviewee
music
"The theme of East-West exchanges
is very relevant to the integration of global cultures."
At the opening ceremony of this year's "Chinese Music Spring", Ye Cong led the Singapore Chinese Orchestra to present the work "Skynet" by composer Law Wai Lun.
"In 2003, "Skynet" was an instant success at the Singapore Arts Festival, and later became a famous song in the Nanyang music genre. The content mainly talks about how the 'goddesses' of the East and the West show their magical powers and how they communicate with each other." Ye Cong believes that the East and West The theme of the exchange is very relevant to the current situation of global cultural integration.
On April 5th, at the "Long City Lion City" concert, Ye Cong, along with huqin principal Li Baoshun and pipa principal Yu Jia, will perform four pieces, including "Tapestry: Time Dance" composed by Eric Watson, and "Tapestry: Time Flying" composed by Tan Dun. "Fire Sacrifice" as well as excerpts from the pipa concerto "Ladder to Heaven" and the symphonic epic "The First Man on the Sea - Zheng He".
Ye Cong said that "Tapestry: Time Dances" and "The First Man on the Sea - Zheng He" are representative works of his development of Nanyang repertoire when he was the music director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
"After the first half of "Tapestry: Time Dances", I selected the work "Fire Rite" by my friend Tan Dun." Ye Cong introduced that the work uses Chinese Hu, Erhu and Gao Hu to perform two theme tunes, and is based on "Band" "Theater" form, integrating traditional sacrificial music and court music. The performance combines percussion and vocals, echoing each other. The audience can feel that one band is standing in the front stage and another band is hiding behind.
"This piece expresses the connection between heaven and man and the unity of man and nature throughout the whole piece." Ye Cong said that in the second half, pipa principal Yu Jiahui used Luo Maishuo's pipa concerto "Ladder to Heaven" to depict the "sacred tree", implying the ancient Shu ancestors' love for the sun. and belief in the sky, the so-called "ladder to heaven." "Yu Jia is an excellent pipa player. This piece requires very high pipa skills and is also a challenge to the orchestra."
music
"'Chinese music' will become an important force on the international stage"
In Ye Cong's eyes, The symphonicization of folk music is a result of the combination of Chinese and Western styles. But the development of folk music requires a different sound from Western symphony. "After three to four hundred years of development in Western orchestras, many things have been finalized, but the innovative content in folk music is endless. It is precisely the many things that can be created that attract me to folk music."
"'National Music "The development situation is very good, with many newly created characteristic repertoires, and the technical level of each orchestra is also very high." Ye Cong believes that the journey of symphonic folk music is still moving forward, and he believes that "Chinese music" will definitely become the future. An important force on the international stage.
"The Singapore Chinese Orchestra's first visit is very meaningful and represents the crystallization of the friendship between Singapore and China." During the interview, Ye Cong expressed many times that he was very happy to be on the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts.
"In 2003, "Skynet" was an instant success at the Singapore Arts Festival, and later became a famous song in the Nanyang music genre. The content mainly talks about how the 'goddesses' of the East and the West show their magical powers and how they communicate with each other." Ye Cong believes that the East and West The theme of the exchange is very relevant to the current situation of global cultural integration.
On April 5th, at the "Long City Lion City" concert, Ye Cong, along with huqin principal Li Baoshun and pipa principal Yu Jia, will perform four pieces, including "Tapestry: Time Dance" composed by Eric Watson, and "Tapestry: Time Flying" composed by Tan Dun. "Fire Sacrifice" as well as excerpts from the pipa concerto "Ladder to Heaven" and the symphonic epic "The First Man on the Sea - Zheng He".
Ye Cong said that "Tapestry: Time Dances" and "The First Man on the Sea - Zheng He" are representative works of his development of Nanyang repertoire when he was the music director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
"After the first half of "Tapestry: Time Dances", I selected the work "Fire Rite" by my friend Tan Dun." Ye Cong introduced that the work uses Chinese Hu, Erhu and Gao Hu to perform two theme tunes, and is based on "Band" "Theater" form, integrating traditional sacrificial music and court music. The performance combines percussion and vocals, echoing each other. The audience can feel that one band is standing in the front stage and another band is hiding behind.
"This piece expresses the connection between heaven and man and the unity of man and nature throughout the whole piece." Ye Cong said that in the second half, pipa principal Yu Jiahui used Luo Maishuo's pipa concerto "Ladder to Heaven" to depict the "sacred tree", implying the ancient Shu ancestors' love for the sun. and belief in the sky, the so-called "ladder to heaven." "Yu Jia is an excellent pipa player. This piece requires very high pipa skills and is also a challenge to the orchestra."
music
"'Chinese music' will become an important force on the international stage"
In Ye Cong's eyes, The symphonicization of folk music is a result of the combination of Chinese and Western styles. But the development of folk music requires a different sound from Western symphony. "After three to four hundred years of development in Western orchestras, many things have been finalized, but the innovative content in folk music is endless. It is precisely the many things that can be created that attract me to folk music."
"'National Music "The development situation is very good, with many newly created characteristic repertoires, and the technical level of each orchestra is also very high." Ye Cong believes that the journey of symphonic folk music is still moving forward, and he believes that "Chinese music" will definitely become the future. An important force on the international stage.
"The Singapore Chinese Orchestra's first visit is very meaningful and represents the crystallization of the friendship between Singapore and China." During the interview, Ye Cong expressed many times that he was very happy to be on the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts.
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