Hunan Museum held a Chinese traditional online concert
At 8:00 pm, May 25, a Chinese traditional online concert was held in Hunan Museum. The concert, highlighted by various traditional Chinese instruments ranging from bronze Nao (a traditional Chinese percussion instrument),Se (a twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument）to chime, revealed the unique culture of Xiang (Hunan province)area and the profound history of China。
Three sessions of the concert: Old Rhyme, Chu Melody(chu also refers to Hunan province ) and Ode to the Past presented the treasures of different periods of China from Shang to Qing dynasty. Each session witnessed the joint performance of a treasure and a musical instrument, bringing people an awesome audio feast and taking them to a superb journey of Chinese traditional culture.
Nao music is said to be the echo of sounds under heaven, and Lei (an ancient urn-shaped wooden wine-vessel) well represents the solemnness of sacrifice rites. The Old Rhyme started with the dialogue between national treasures and those ancient music, such as the bronze Nao with elephant pattern, and bronze Fanglei in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Accompanied by the rhyme of chimes and the graceful dancers, those ancient musical instruments reproduced the stories of the past. Artists Fang Jinlong and Wu Lin brought out the best of five-stringed Pipa （Chinese lute）and Konghou (Chinese harp), making the two instruments complement each other and creating a great musical harmony, thereby to present in front of audience the ancient Chinese ritual system.
In the session Chu Melody, items such as delicate tiger-based and phoenix-framed wooden drum as well as T-shaped silk painting impressed people with startling technique and artistry. Singer Chen Xiaoduo ’s soprano was blended with the sounds of Sheng (a reed pipe wind instrument) and Xiao (a vertical bamboo flute)， a rare combination that created a sense of ethereality, well expressing ancient people’s nostalgic passion for their motherland. Other musical instruments like erhu and bamboo flute also lured audience into the realm of Chinese ancient poetry.
Ode to the Past featured the appearance of “duyou” guqin, legacy of great philosopher Wang Chuanshan (1619-1692, born in Hengyang, Hunan province) and Celadon-Glazed ewer with brown poems in Tang dynasty.The guqin master Gongyi presented the charm of Hunan culture with his splendid performance.
Co-organized by Hunan Museum, Bank of Changsha, Changsha Museum and Opera and Dance Art Institution of Hunan province, this online concert was broadcast live by some important local media and 30 national mainstream media.
