Sound paths of China

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For over a thousand years, Chinese music has developed from a rich tradition in which percussion and stringed instruments play a central role. The bass drum (鼓 gǔ) is one of the oldest instruments in East Asia; its sound structured rituals, ceremonies and military signals and thus shaped the social life of entire eras. The pipa lute (琵琶) reached China via the early trade routes of Central Asia and became a leading melodic instrument in the Tang period, shaping both courtly and literary forms of music. The ruan (阮), with its round body and soft tone, is an independent Chinese instrument whose history can be traced back to the Han dynasty. There is no Western counterpart for any of the instruments that is as old and is still played today.
Together, these instruments demonstrate the wide stylistic range of Chinese music: from distinctive rhythmic structures to narrative lute music and regional dance forms. Today's program takes up these traditions and combines them with well-known works ranging from historical landscapes to folk festivals.

Dragon flight and tiger power
(solo on the Chinese bass drum)

Spring in the Tian Shan Mountains

Moonlit night by the spring river full of flowers

Give me a rose

Intoxication of joy
(Ruan solo)

Camel bells of the Silk Road

Dance of the Yi

Ambush from ten sides
(Pipa solo)

Tajik dance

Night of the torch festival

Participants
KE Nan - Pipa (琵琶)
LI Na - Ruan (阮) CHEN Yifan - trad. Percussion (民族打击乐)

About KE Nan
KE Nan is a lecturer and musician with a master's degree and specializes in pipa playing. She is the secretary of the Anhui Pipa Society of the Chinese Musicians Association and deputy secretary general of the Wang Yuting Pipa Research Center of the Anhui Provincial National Orchestra Society. She received her training under Professor Fan Wei and Professor Li Guanghua at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She has been teaching at the Anhui Vocational College of Art since 2013. In 2005, she was invited by the Manchester School to perform in the UK and participated in numerous national stage productions during her studies, including the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing and the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games. She has won several national and international competitions - including the Dunhuang Cup, the Huayue Chamber Music Competition and the International Competition for National Musical Instruments - and has received several awards as an outstanding teacher.

About LI Na
LI Na is a lecturer and holds a doctorate in music (Dr. phil) with a focus on ruan playing. She is a member of the Chinese Communist Party, an examiner for the Chinese National Orchestra Society, a member of the Anhui Provincial Musicians' Association and a member of the board of the Anhui National Orchestra Society
. As a representative of the fifth generation of bearers of the provincial intangible cultural heritage "Liuqin Playing from Northern Anhui", she is dedicated to the cultivation and transmission of traditional Chinese music. After completing her bachelor's degree at Anhui Normal University, she earned her doctorate at Thonburi University in Bangkok. She has been teaching at Anhui University of the Arts since 2016. She received the first prize for teaching excellence for her outstanding teaching work; her students have received several national and provincial awards for artistic practice and competition success under her guidance.

About CHEN Yifan
CHEN Yifan is a young teacher and musician with a master's degree, specializing in percussion instruments. He is a member of the Percussion Committee of the Chinese National Orchestra Society, a member of the Percussion Society of the Chinese Musicians Association and a board member of the Chinese Marimba Society. He also founded the percussion ensemble of Anhui University of the Arts and works as an examiner for percussion instruments on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism. He completed his master's degree in percussion instruments at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing; in 2020 he entered Anhui University of the Arts as a young talent. As the main author and editor, he published the first textbook for "Chinese National Percussion Instruments" in Anhui Province. Under his guidance, his students have repeatedly won major national and provincial awards.

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