On March 2nd, composer CHEN Qigang’s Jiangchegnzi, at the invitation of the NCPA, BBC 3, Vale of Glamorgan Festival and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, made its world premiere at the NCPA Concert Hall.

Photo by XIAO Yi

Composer CHEN was invited for deep collaboration with the NCPA on the 2016 - 2018 seasons as a resident artist. In these two seasons, the China NCPA Orchestra performed The Source, Going To The West Gate, Reflet d’un Temps Disparu, Luantan and Erhuang, etc., which were composed by CHEN at different times, showing audiences the unique artistic temperament and profound humanistic connotation of the works from varying angles. The Reflet d’un Temps Disparu and Luantan were performed by the China NCPA Orchestra during its U.S. tour in 2017.

Jiangchengzi is adapted from a long poem of the same title by SU Shi, a literary giant in the Song Dynasty, who wrote it in memory of his dead wife. The piece is composed for soprano, chorus and symphony orchestra. Alexander Blocher, a new-generation conductor from France, will conduct the world premiere of this piece in collaboration with soprano MENG Meng, China NCPA Chorus and Orchestra.

Composer CHEN Qigang

SU Shi has gotten married to WANG Fu at the age of 19, and then left Sichuan to embark on an official career. The couple lived in a state of conjugal bliss and cast their lot with each other. 10 years later, WANG passed away, her body returned home and buried in the ancestral grave. Jiangchengzi was written by SU after he saw WANG in his dream in Mizhou, when WANG had been dead for over 10 years. Though the living and the dead were separated from each other by the netherworld, their emotional bond was inextricable, which has existed all the time. SU’s works are of great momentum, but feelings are expressed in a sensitive and graceful way. Jiangchengzi is a piece of music that can be sung repeatedly in the life and missed constantly at quiet nights. Many people praise the poem as an “eternal masterpiece.”

CHEN Qigang was unveiling the deep connotation of Jiangchengzi
Photo by XIAO Yi

Despite many years of searching, I failed to find a male singer who not only was good at performing Chinese traditional operas, but also has received good vocal music education and had excellent musical sensibility and a strong understanding of music. Accordingly, I wanted MENG Meng to disguise herself as a man, but she had an affected air in her trial performance, so I decided that this role might as well be turned into a female one. Sex would not matter at all as long as the performer would give a performance that could reveal the profound implied meaning and connotation of the poem.

It is my maiden work composed for choruses, but it’s challenging to perform due to the pitch, pitch interval, rhythm variation and timbre variations. According to the conductor and musicians of the China NCPA Chorus, it is one of the contemporary choral works most difficult to perform they have ever met since the founding of the chorus. As an old saying goes, “The ignorant are fearless.” So, I want the new hand to go all-out to have a try. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the NCPA and all musicians concerned, who have been indulgent with me.