Vienna performance in 1998 seen as breakthrough for China National Traditional Orchestra, Chen Nan reports.

(From left) Erhu player Tang Feng, Zhao Cong and Wu Yuxia on the pipa, zhongruan performer Feng Mantian and Niu Jiandang on the suona, display their expertise during the album launch in Beijing on Feb 5. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

On Feb 5, the day of the Lantern Festival, an album, titled The Year of Roaring Tiger, was released by NCPA Classics, the music label of the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

The album is a live recording of a concert by the China National Traditional Orchestra under the baton of Chen Xieyang, which was staged at the NCPA on Feb 15, 2022, the Lantern Festival of the Year of the Tiger.

Featuring music pieces, such as Spring Festival Overture, Blossoms on a Spring Moonlight Night and Erquan Yingyue (The Moon Reflected in the Erquan Spring), the album also commemorates a landmark concert by the China National Traditional Orchestra, also conducted by Chen, in Vienna in 1998.

"The concert held on the day of the Lantern Festival in 2022 celebrated the 24th anniversary of the China National Traditional Orchestra's concert at the Musikverein in Vienna in 1998. It was the first time that the orchestra performed at the iconic venue, which was a glorious and historic event in the orchestra's history," says Zhao Cong, president of the China National Traditional Orchestra, who is also a veteran pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) player.

Back in 1998, Zhao was a student of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She can still recall vividly that she watched the news on TV about the concert of the China National Traditional Orchestra at the Musikverein.

"For a Chinese audience, the Musikverein, also known as the 'Golden Hall', is very famous because of CCTV's live broadcast of the venue's New Year's concert. The venue has a long classical music history and many top musicians from around the world perform there," says Zhao. "I was a pipa student then, and at that time, Chinese music was rarely performed abroad, let alone being staged at such a great venue. When I watched the news, I was very excited and proud, hoping that, one day, I would be a member of the orchestra."

Zhao, president of the China National Traditional Orchestra, performs at the NCPA on Feb 15,2022. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

In 2021, Zhao was appointed to the position of president of the China National Traditional Orchestra and that year, the concert, The Year of Roaring Tiger, was planned for the Lantern Festival in 2022.

"According to the Chinese calendar, 1998 was the Year of the Tiger. After two 12-year cycles, 2022 was also the Year of the Tiger. We wanted to present the concert, not only marking the concert in 1998 in Vienna, but also displaying the growth of the orchestra from 1998 to 2022," says Zhao.

The day has long lived in the memory of pipa player Wu Yuxia. "The day that we performed at the Musikverein in Vienna in 1998 was Lunar New Year's Eve. When we entered the venue, we had no time to walk around, since we had a very tight rehearsal schedule. All of us were very excited because we were about to show our music to an audience from around the world," recalls Wu, who played with the orchestra in Vienna in 1998 and also gave a solo display on her musical instrument.

"The venue looked much older than it did on TV, but it was a historic space with traces of history everywhere," Wu adds. "By the end of the concert, the audience gave us a rousing round of applause. We knew that the concert was a great success."

On Lantern Festival in 2022, Wu returned to the stage and performed with the orchestra by working with xiao (a vertical bamboo flute) player Wang Ciheng on an ancient Chinese music piece, Blossoms on a Spring Moonlight Night.

Like Wu, erhu (a two-stringed traditional instrument) player Tang Feng was one of the musicians who performed at the concert in Vienna in 1998. Now, he is the vice-president of the orchestra.

The China National Traditional Orchestra performs at the same event, under the baton of Chen Xieyang. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Back in 1998, Tang was in his late 20s and became the youngest principal erhu player of the China National Traditional Orchestra.

"To be honest, I was not confident about the concert at the Musikverein, because Chinese music had never been staged at that venue before. I didn't know if the audience, mostly from the West, would appreciate our music," says Tang. "These types of musical instruments are hundreds or even thousands of years old. In the 1990s, Chinese music and musical instruments were often stereotyped by Chinese audiences, who considered them as old and out-of-date. The success of the concert at Musikverein was very meaningful because it gave us confidence and made us see the greatness of our own music again."

During the concert on Feb 15,2022, at the NCPA, Tang played with the orchestra on an original music piece, titled Pale Clouds and Dancing Wind, which Tang composed along with musician Lin Hai.

"For decades, we have been trying to showcase the beauty of our instruments by bringing out new, original works. The good news is that a greater number of people at home, especially young people, are recognizing and enjoying Chinese music," says Tang.

The new album also features a piece adapted from a folk song of Shaanxi province, which was staged at the concert on Feb 15, 2022, at the NCPA. Titled Xintianyou Capriccio, the work is performed by suona (a traditional woodwind instrument) player Niu Jiandang and zhongruan (a traditional four-stringed plucked instrument) player Feng Mantian. The two musicians not only played their musical instruments, but also sang and jammed onstage, which won lots of applause from the audience.

"The piece was conceived when we had dinner together several years ago. I was born and raised in Shaanxi province and I loved the folk songs of my hometown very much. I started to sing a folk song after drinking some beers and Feng soon improvised on his zhongruan," recalls Niu.

Zhongruan, belonging to the ruan family, is an old Chinese plucked-string instrument. Feng, who joined the China National Traditional Orchestra at the age of 15, is known for his fusion of zhongruan with contemporary music genres, such as rock and jazz.

"I am always interested in exploring the different sounds of my instrument. The rhythm of folk songs from Shaanxi province fits the sound of zhongruan perfectly. When the sounds of suona, zhongruan and human voices come together, the emotion is intense and original," says Feng.

Turning 60 years old next month, Feng adds that he is about to retire from the orchestra, but he will still be open to work with musicians from the orchestra.

"We spent our lives playing our musical instruments. We are keen on preserving their original sounds and bringing new ones to them," Feng says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn