BMW presents ‘Impression’

Musicians from the China National Orchestra play traditional Chinese instruments on stage during their national tour. Photo: Courtesy of BMW China

BMW Impression Chinese Music Tour, then you have a chance to make amends this autumn as the China National Orchestra makes a return to the stage for another national tour.

After receiving great applause for their early performances in Guangzhou of Guangdong Province, Chengdu of Sichuan Province, and Beijing last month, the BMW Master Hall is now taking the orchestra to Shanghai and Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

"The challenge is how to merge the emotions of modern people into the ancient classical musical instruments that inherit an eternal spirit," said Wang Chaoge, the director of the orchestra. Wang believes that the artists have a duty to pass traditional Chinese music to the next generation.

The BMW Master Hall offered the chance for Wang, and other musicians who shared her dream, to bring Chinese music to larger audiences. The tour is sponsored by BMW, which also help support many other Chinese musicians and music genres.

The tour has many unique aspects that set it apart from other orchestral performances. The musicians play on traditional Chinese musical instruments reproduced from the Dunhuang frescoes, such as the seven-stringed traditional instrument guqin, the harp-like konghou, the special-shaped lianhuaqin (lotus stringed instrument), and the ruan (Chinese plucked string instrument) with a decorated phoenix head.

The show also connects the audience directly with the performers, with the conductor and musicians directly interacting with the audience throughout their performance. Audiences can learn about the careers and personal experiences of each musician.

At the orchestra's Beijing performance on August 23, Feng Mantian, the ruan player of the orchestra, told of his family's history of playing the rare instrument. He revealed that he is not only a player who enjoys entertaining audiences, but also a musician who takes great pride in his performance.

Feng Xiaoquan and Zeng Gege, a married couple who are experts at the Chinese flute and straight flute, portrayed their love story like an eternal life circle. Dressed in long traditional coats, the couple amazed the audience with a duet performance which raised the concert to a romantic peak.

The interactions with the audiences was one of Wang's ideas, as she believes that direct contact with musicians makes audiences feel more present with those ancient musical instruments. Wang also placed musicians in the woodwind section of the orchestra among the crowds, so as to imitate different bird sounds during intermissions which created a sense of being outdoors in nature.

"I never heard of these instruments before, as many of them existed back in the time of China's imperial dynasties," said Zhao Ping, who was present at the Beijing performance. "I was deeply moved by the performance and would like to know more about our own musical history."