Recreating the Oriental’s magnificent tragic classic – An interview on the birth of the symphonic suite “A Dream of Red Mansions”

Recreating the Oriental’s magnificent tragic classic – An interview on the birth of the symphonic suite “A Dream of Red Mansions” Arizona Huiming…

Arizona Huiming A "Dream of Red Mansions" novel allows social politicians to see stories of power, corporate administrators to see management ideas, writers to see talent, and composers to hear tragic chords. Although the common people only see lingering love, anti-pornography supervision and even see inappropriate for children, China has countless cultural classics. Why does one "Dream of Red Mansions" novel make so many different people have different feelings? China has countless film and television music, so why are so many music lovers moved by the music of the 1987 TV series Red Mansions?

Naturally, the first thing is the greatness of Cao Xueqin - he used "Dream of Red Mansions" to interpret the past, present and even future concerto march of an era at the same time, and also conquered several generations. What’s even more remarkable is that Cao Xueqin used her politician’s foresight, sociologist’s vision and writer’s writing style to turn this subject into a tragic story. She encompasses many Chinese social traditions and current cultural elements. It is an oriental tragic epic that is more shocking than the ancient Greek tragedy of fate and Shakespeare’s character tragedy, making her readers consciously or unconsciously hold her hand in her red dress.

When tragedies and comedies compete on the same stage, comedy is never the opponent of tragedy. When tragedy inserts characters with positive values ​​into the process of social destruction, people who don't know the details will still rejoice in the comedy of individual scenes. Just like when the readers were enjoying themselves while drinking and reciting poems for the girls in the Red Mansion, they did not expect that Cao Xueqin had hidden irreparable sorrow behind each poem. Every reader hopes to continue the glory in life, but although the advanced and beautiful imagination meets people's expectations, it ultimately has no basis for survival. The girls in the Red Mansion, including Sister Feng, all have beautiful dreams, but their dreams are entangled in countless inner conflicts, and they conflict vividly in the courtyard of the Red Mansion. In the end, they are completely strangled and destroyed by the real society. No one's beautiful dreams can break through their fate.

Let more people yearn for beauty and lament that beauty is hard to come by. This is the power of Cao Xueqin's tragedy.

Wang Liping (right) accepts flowers from fans at the performance *The next great person is Wang Liping (Wang Liping, director of the China Film Association, director of the China International Cultural Exchange Center, director of the China Photographers Association and director of the Rights Protection Committee, member of the Chinese Writers Association, and lifelong artistic director of the China Film Orchestra) There are countless people in the world who study Hongxue, but from what I have seen, Wang Liping was the first to understand Cao Xueqin. He was able to read the master's truly touching tragic complex from novels written hundreds of years ago, and showed it through the soundtrack of the TV series. Mr. Wang Liping described this process like this:

My own experience is, "Once you fall into a dream, you will never wake up for the rest of your life." I like this work very much. I read it when I was very young, but I didn’t understand it. It seemed to be all about family matters, and I even found it a bit annoying to read. To truly understand Cao Xueqin's culture and thoughts behind each character and be deeply moved by them, it is after experiencing setbacks and tribulations and having a personal experience of the joys and sorrows of the world.

It is not easy to understand a person, and it is even more difficult to understand Cao Xueqin. If you don’t have the experience of exiting a book a little bored, there will be no surprises and admiration when you go back in again. That time I went in and had a wonderful friendship with Master Cao. The friendship lasted for four years, and finally the immortal Red Mansion Music came out. How many fans lamented that they couldn't help but feel sad when they heard "Yin of Burial Flowers" and "Brows in vain". But have you ever understood that this endless sadness was caused by Wang Liping lying on the piano and crying bitterly after wandering, refining, and even suffering in the red building? Only then did the purely textual narrative become the rhythm in the hearts of Cao Xueqin, himself, and the readers and listeners! He once said that Red Mansions Music was his dystocia. That kind of emotion is really beyond the comprehension of ordinary people! So he said:

"Writing good music certainly requires precise technology, but the most important thing is to feel it with your heart. Only by being meticulous in the depiction of emotions can you deeply portray the character's heart through music."

Mr. Wang Liping is known as the master of string rhythm. He can turn the joyful complex in people's lives into "Island of the Sun", and can turn the melody of sheep herding into the euphemism and beauty of the shepherdess. When he once again grafted Hebei's local minor Jiangnan drama into the Red Mansion Opera, I believe he was moved again: Cao Xueqin condensed the ordinary life into the tragedy of love, and Wang Liping added musical symbols to this tragic love that everyone in the world can appreciate!

* But who will perform this poignant beauty. Even Wang Liping found this unbelievable when he said it himself: He heard a beautiful voice singing "Cuckoo" on a small nine-inch black and white TV, but the singer looked as long as a matchstick on the screen. She is Chen Li. Mr. Wang found her. The author has been thinking that there are so many professional, bel canto and academic singers in the world, why did Professor Wang choose Chen Li? Perhaps the crisp voice of the Northeastern girl can better express the feelings of the boys and girls in the Red Mansion, but more importantly, Chen Li has the innate ability to interpret tragic complexes. Chen Li likes to sing Peking Opera. The female roles in this Peking Opera, such as the old operas of Qing Yi Lao Dan, basically have tragic plots. Although Hua Dan has a pretty side, most of her arias are slow and slow. This is a rare ability for interpreting the tragedy of Red Mansions. Wang Liping may not have known that he was looking for a singer for the tragedy at that time, but the tragedy of Red Mansions that lingered in his heart made him fall in love with Chen Li.

However, it was difficult for the young Chen Li at that time to understand all the tragedy in the world. Therefore, Mr. Wang Liping interpreted Red Mansions for Chen Li almost word by word, which made Chen Li feel that he could no longer sing. Moreover, at that time, Chen Li suffered another major tragic blow in his life. Everyone in the crew was worried that Chen Li would quit the show, but she finally came back and performed Red Mansions with a sincerity that no one else had. Professor Wang Liping was filled with emotion and gratification afterward: "This is how the future Red Mansions songs came about!"

Anyone who has appreciated the Red Mansions music will lament that Wang Liping's Red Mansions music is a close relationship with Master Cao. Those who have heard Chen Li sing the Red Mansions songs will be completely overwhelmed by her melancholy feelings. Why does a piece of music have such great magic power? The connotation of the tragic classic is an important reason, but Teacher Wang Liping has also done his best for the birth and interpretation of this tragic oriental story. He has the right to confidently say: "In the long history, there will definitely be someone who can surpass my work. But I was very careful when I wrote it, so that it will not be easy for future generations to surpass! I did not leave much room for future generations!"

> Lang Xiaoming and his wife * (Lang Xiaoming, Ph.D. in music from the University of Arizona, conductor of the Tucson Chinese Singing Choir in Arizona) Even if there is not much room, those musicians who have infinite love for the Red Mansion also want to find opportunities for their own performances within this limited scope. Lang Xiaoming is one of these persistent pursuers. He once interpreted traditional Chinese culture with his violin piece "Butterfly Lovers" and was recognized by the American music industry. He understands better than others how traditional Chinese classics enter the world.

Most people who play musical instruments believe in their fingers. They once thought that their violin was a singing machine. As long as it was given emotions, it would also narrate the musical feelings like a singer. But when he formed the Tucson Chinese Voice Choir with his friends and came into close contact with the sounds of nature, he was almost a little surprised. It turns out that the human voice is what really touches people's hearts. Only the perfect coordination of beautiful singing voices and musical instruments is the most beautiful melody that expresses life. It turns out that the singing of "Back to Home", "Jasmine", "Song of a Hero" and "Hometown" can not only awaken people's memories of the past, but also touch people's inner feelings of homesickness and love. Accompanied by a local symphony orchestra in the United States, the Special Huasheng Choir sang the twists and turns and euphemisms of love in "Lu You and Tang Wan". When the actors and the audience shed tears at the same time, a new thought began to emerge in Dr. Lang's heart: It turns out that tragedy and euphemism can be so powerful! It turns out that tradition can be performed in this way! So many "originals" have begun the Huasheng Choir's new pursuit

* (Zhang Dongxiao Zhang Dongxiao, a lecturer in the Department of Music at Sun Yat-sen University and a music teacher at the Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona, has organized many concerts of Dream of Red Mansions songs in China in the past. When he was teaching at the Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona, he came up with the idea of holding a folk music concert of Dream of Red Mansions songs in the United States, so that American audiences can also accept the profoundness of Chinese culture.

There is a mixture of worry and excitement about the implementation of this idea. Although many people in the United States like Chinese folk music, and some people have made some achievements in playing the erhu and flute, to most American audiences, Chinese folk music is just like the Asian music they know. Even if it is not overwhelming, it is too euphemistic, and it is very different from the music atmosphere they are familiar with. But Teacher Zhang believes that the brilliance of Red Mansions music creation lies in "sorrow but not sadness", which is a kind of "neutral beauty". She does not use words, but uses "emotion" and "voice" to impress people. Most foreigners think that Chinese music is slow. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. As everyone knows, Chinese music will have changes in "loose, slow, medium, fast, and trend" even in the same piece of music. The winding path leads to a quiet and beautiful place.

Dr. Lang feels the same way. Music has no national boundaries. As long as it finds a form that can be accepted by the audience, the essence and concepts of Chinese traditional culture can also be accepted by the world. Without the violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers" by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, the story of Butterfly Lovers could only remain in the form of the Yue Opera "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", and it would be difficult for audiences outside China to know it. If the "Dream of Red Mansions" concerts only stop at "solo concerts" of female voices accompanied by folk bands, this work can only stay in places where Chinese people with folk bands live together, such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, etc., and it is still for self-entertainment.

* Dr. Lang Xiaoming passionately and firmly believes that "Dream of Red Mansions," a Chinese musical work, has the potential to be choral and symphonic, and it is also formally qualified for performance in the Western symphony world. If the "Dream of Red Mansions" symphonic suite is born, it will be the same as all symphonic works with chorus, such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Son of the Earth, Brahms, Mozart, and Verdi's Requiem, with solo, chorus, and duet singing. And in the form of symphony orchestra accompaniment, use the composer's language to tell original joyful or tragic stories -

If so, it will be another great contribution to the Dream of Red Mansions after Cao Xueqin and Wang Liping.

Appropriate musical language is the key to making the music of Dream of Red Mansions linger on the world music stage.

So, is it possible to adopt that stanza-like approach to express the essence of Red Mansions? For example, let the folk orchestra symphony band be the accompaniment of the lead singer's chorus, and sing each song for 3 or 4 minutes, or let the symphony orchestra accompany the chorus to enhance the performance like the choir performed in the past? As a demonstration form of a show, this can be regarded as a way of performing as the locals do. But musically speaking, this kind of singing-for-song-for-song performance method will divide the complete tragic classic of "Dream of Red Mansions" and leave people with a fragmented feeling. To put it bluntly, after listening to all the songs, Americans may not know what Red Mansions is.

The essence of the tragic story of "A Dream of Red Mansions" cannot be overstated in any language. The pathos and beauty of Mr. Wang Liping's music and songs for his TV series are also considered unattainable by anyone. But this is only the inner beauty of Chinese people. The world does not know it, and foreigners have no chance to experience it. What would be the effect if Mr. Wang Liping's Red Mansion rhythm could be changed into a symphony, and the sound of the symphony could accentuate the poignancy of the lead singer and the resonance of the chorus?

No one knows what the result will be until the work appears. But for Dr. Lang, Chen Li's unique voice has already traveled through the magnificent harmonies of the symphony in his mind, lingering in the sky! At least, American listeners will know from this that China also has such a symphony. Just like "Romeo and Juliet", there used to be a lot of beauty and love singing, laughter and pathos in that land! The love tragedy of two people can be brought to life in Shakespeare's writings. Why can't the Red Mansions with so many rich themes go to the world under the concert of symphony?

＊Teacher Zhang Dongxiao, who is good at folk music, heard the news, and his first feeling was "This is a big deal"! Because he understands the expressive power of traditional Chinese bands. As far as Red Mansions music performances are concerned, folk music performances can basically satisfy the tastes of Chinese audiences in terms of range, timbre fusion and acoustic balance. Traditional silk and string instruments can easily touch the heartstrings of the Chinese people. But in order to resonate with overseas Chinese, especially the American audience with heavy tastes, it depends on the shocking and magnificent feeling of the symphony. If Sister Lin's call to the sky "Where is the fragrant hill at the end of the sky" and the accompaniment of folk music are added with symphonic resonance, the effect will not be inferior to the conflict in Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" Fantasy Overture. Music connoisseurs are looking forward to this effect.

* (Chen Zhao, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona) When Dr. Lang Xiaoming gave me the idea of ​​a choir and a folk orchestra symphony orchestra rehearsing the Dream of Red Mansions symphonic suite, I was both excited and worried.

Cao Xueqin's story of "A Dream of Red Mansions" and Wang Liping's creation of the music for the TV series "Dream of Red Mansions" have set the tone for this great tragedy. However, how to introduce this work that belongs to all mankind to audiences and listeners whose mother tongue is not Chinese, and to make it accepted by everyone in a format that is popular in the European and American world, is a very difficult and wide-ranging systematic project. The entire performance is a collaboration between solo singers, chorus, Chinese folk orchestra, and American symphony orchestra. But we are proud that the staff of the Confucius Institute and music lovers from all walks of life, under the overall command of music leaders like Lang Xiaoming, are overcoming difficulties step by step and spreading the infinite charm of this traditional Chinese literary masterpiece with the most beautiful and shocking sounds.

* When Dr. Lang Xiaoming finished writing the last movement of the Red Mansions Symphony Suite, he was extremely pleased: I "hidden" hundreds of symphony instruments behind Teacher Wang's music. From then on, any symphony orchestra in the world can play this version. There is no longer any barrier or distance between Teacher Wang's music of Dream of Red Mansions and the symphony!

Dr. Lang spoke easily, and the audience felt comfortable listening to it, but how did the gap in this century be filled?

>Teacher Wang Liping’s original score was composed for television recording. It is mainly folk music and string music. In terms of accompaniment, the timbre is relatively euphemistic and thin, and does not have the shocking effect of the brass, woodwinds, timpani and other instruments of the symphony orchestra. But if you break away from Teacher Wang's original style and re-create it as you like, it won't be called the music of Dream of Red Mansions. Therefore, Dr. Lang believes that when a symphony orchestra accompanies and performs Dream of Red Mansions, one must first "penetrate" the teacher's original score and use the instruments of the entire symphony orchestra to perform his musical intentions in a seamless manner.

This "re-creation" process lasted almost half a year. It may have been a very happy but also very difficult half year for Lang Xiaoming. Lang Xiaoming feels that he has done the hardest and most meaningful things in the past six months: The original 15 songs/music of Dream of Red Mansions were selected according to the literary content and musical form, and adapted into three movements: The first movement: "Bao Dai Love". The content of the love story is chosen with Baoyu and Daiyu as the main line.

There are people in the Red Mansion who have different views on love and ways of expressing love. Using symphonic music to connect different love concepts such as Daiyu, Baoyu and Spring-Tucking Rhododendron Xiren, such as fraternity, self-pity and narcissism, unrequited love, persistence and even lost love, is an adventurous attempt in itself. But this attempt is in line with the laws of tragic classics: before dark clouds are found in the sky, the bird's sipping is also a little worried about the future, but the desire for the future and love is always romantic. The second movement: "The Sigh of the Golden Hairpin". The storyline of other girls in the Red Mansion Grand View Garden was chosen.

Music like "Sighing the Sweet Ling", "Qingwen Song", "Dividing Flesh and Bones", "Smart and Tired", etc., show a different kind of sadness. The second movement of a symphony is often a link between the past and the next, and the role of "The Sigh of the Golden Hairpin" is also the same. It inherits the hope of "Bao Dai Qing", uses various characters as clues, and presents worries about the conflict between reality and ideals from various angles. It unfolds a tragic plot in the first dark clouds, laying the groundwork for a fruitless future. The music is pleasant and beautiful, but the sadness has begun to dissipate. The third movement: "Flower Burial Song". It highlights the literary theme of "A Dream of Red Mansions".

As teacher Wang Liping said, the theme of this movement is "Heavenly Questions". This is the climax of the entire Dream of Red Mansions symphonic suite. The tragic clues accumulated in the first two movements reach their climax in Daiyu's cry to the sky, and the rhythm of the folk music symphony also explodes with the plot. The plot of Red Mansions came to an abrupt end at that moment, but the shocking and magnificent chords were fixed in the souls and hearts of the audience from then on—

Chinese audiences are no strangers to the songs of Dream of Red Mansions, but no one has ever heard the music of Red Mansions sung and played without pause between the songs in each movement. Using symphonic techniques to effectively connect Teacher Wang Liping's songs of different moods, forms, and tones, making each movement itself a complete musical work, is Dr. Lang Xiaoming's greatest attempt and contribution to the Red Mansion.

But to truly express a complete literary theme and musical image, so that the music does not have to be interrupted by the audience's palms every 3 minutes, a lot of technical processing is required. Lang Xiaoming said humbly, this should be light as light as the clouds and wind, and heavy as shocking, light as "blank", thick as "splashing ink". In such a light conversation, what you may see is Lang Xiaoming's understatement of transplanting and adapting Mr. Wang's music to the symphony orchestra. But when you listen to the entire symphony suite, you can truly feel the composer's painstaking efforts behind the understatement! Only then can we hear the heavy makeup and light makeup of countless musicians such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Liping and Chen Li on the traditional Chinese music scroll of Dream of Red Mansions!

Another important adaptation of the symphonic suite "A Dream of Red Mansions" is to arrange the chorus for the song. It turns out that the music in "A Dream of Red Mansions" is basically a female solo, except for "Qingwen Song", which is sung by female voices in unison. But if accompanied by a symphony, a single solo sounds like a bird singing and an elephant dancing. Therefore, in order to enrich the musical form and musical image, Lang Xiaoming arranged choruses for 7 of the songs. The arranging principles he set for this symphony are: to adhere to the style of the original work to the greatest extent, so that all the voices sound like "Wang Liping" instead of "Lang Xiaoming"; all choruses are only to set off and enrich the symphonic suite, and cannot overwhelm the guest; coordinate the overall situation, highlight the changes in form, and avoid singleness. The rhythm of the suite must have been surging in Lang Xiaoming's heart, but what exactly will it be?

(Qu Ning, leader of the Huasheng Chorus in Tucson, Arizona, USA) The Huasheng Chorus has a history of six years since its establishment. It has sung dozens of Chinese folk love songs throughout Arizona. Although I have experience of collaborating with folk orchestras and symphony orchestras, this is the first time I have collaborated with Chen Li and a symphony orchestra as the chorus part of a symphony suite. This is a very lucky and happy process for all the choir members. I felt that this time our chorus and solo were integrated, without any "overshadowing" of the solo part. The newly added parts, especially the submelody, also match the main melody very well. After three movements, it wanders around in various forms such as solo, duet, small chorus, cantata, etc. Moreover, when practicing in the Red Chamber with the American Chorus, we all thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of major harmony.

We are making history! Director Qu Ning’s words represent the voices of all the actors participating in the performance: It is the first time that Cao Xueqin has created the story of Dream of Red Mansions, it is the first time that Wang Liping has composed the score for Red Mansions, it is the first time that Lang Xiaoming has adapted the melody of Red Mansions into a symphony, and it is also the first time that we are performing the symphonic classic of Dream of Red Mansions on the same stage with the masters today. We may not be the best singers, but we are trying to do our best.

The person who made the best contribution to this Dream of Red Mansions Symphony Concert was Chen Li, the God of Red Mansions who fans adore infinitely.

>Chen Li (right) is busy signing autographs for fans (Chen Li is the lead singer of the 87 TV series music of "Dream of Red Mansions") Chen Li recorded (in vain) this song on June 19, 1984, when she was only twenty-eight years old and in her prime. But after more than 20 years, she said that she had experienced several illnesses, struggled with life and death, and her body and other aspects were not as good as before. It was indeed difficult to be on stage again.

But Chen Li is very calm and firm about all this: choosing to "let go" or "take on" in life requires courage and pay a price. I think, whether you choose to "let go" or "take on" is a state of pursuit in life.

Chen Li used to dub in the recording studio for the Dream of Red Mansions drama, but this time not only on the 40-minute stage, but also with the accompaniment of the symphony with her colleagues in the choir, it was indeed a great psychological and technical challenge for her. Chen Li said: I have hesitated, thought and worried. But in the end I chose to bear it. Because my brothers and sisters (Liba) and fans (Red Mansion) support me and look forward to me, I must choose to take responsibility. Also be prepared to be scolded. I will work hard, my age is not as good as it was back then, but my true feelings are still the same. I will sing with my true feelings, and I will use my singing voice to lead my audience and friends to follow me into the artistic conception of (Dream of Red Mansions)...

Is there anything in the world that can be more touching than this true feeling?

> Thomas Cockrell (conductor of the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, USA) also found it incredible when he first received Dr. Lang's score of the Dream of Red Mansions Symphonic Suite. He almost couldn't believe that this 40-minute orchestra score was completed in half a year by his colleague from China.

Thomas Cockrell has conducted many symphony orchestra performances and has played almost all the famous music in the world, but it is also the first time for him to play such an oriental symphony. But he was finally captivated by the tragic charm from the East and accepted the invitation to perform, conducting the Dream of Red Mansions symphonic suite composed of solo chorus and folk music symphony ensemble. Because he believes that this unique oriental-style love symphony story will be recognized by American audiences who are tolerant of multiculturalism.

> Lang Xiaoming put down the rewritten score and after the last rehearsal for the performance, he once said with emotion: I don’t know if my hard work in the past six months is worth it, but I know that this is not for money or fame, but for the love of Chinese music. Every actor who participated in the show felt the same way. With love, there are literary geniuses like Cao Xueqin who were born for the Dream of Red Mansions, there are rhythm masters like Wang Liping who are fascinated by the music of the Red Mansions, and there are talents like Lang Xiaoming who fill in the gaps for the symphonic suite of The Dream of Red Mansions! That’s why Red Mansion singer Chen Li performed on the same stage today with the Tucson Chinese Singing Chorus, the Arizona Choir, the Tucson Arizona Boys Choir, and the Arizona Symphony Orchestra!

Without the obsessive admiration and love for traditional Chinese culture, and the spirit of dedication to music, the Symphonic Suite of Dream of Red Mansions would not have been possible.

Wang Liping came on stage to thank the lead singers for their wonderful performances

Teacher Wang Liping listened to the whole rehearsal and couldn't help but come on stage to praise. I never thought that American children could sing Red Mansions so well! This kind of performance can definitely be toured in China!

Let us look forward to that wonderful moment, when Dream of Red Mansions, draped in gorgeous music, once again touches the world with her moving voice.

The symphony orchestra collectively bowed to the audience

The audience stood up and cheered, reluctant to leave for a long time

Some enthusiastic audience members rushed from Phoenix to Tucson to watch "Dream of Red Mansions"