Nirvanais a piano-hypermedia concert series. It was initiated by young Chinese pianist Yu Xiangjun who studied both in China and Germany. The program of Nirvanamainly focuses on contemporary piano repertoire, especially those with structural tension and sonic expressiveness. Nirvanatries to combine the aesthetics of piano and the vividness of new media art to promote contemporary music with various art forms and technology. The concert continues to present a mixture of various media including piano, electronic music, interactive lighting, graphic scores and responsive visuals. The medialized performance creates a visible and kinetic spatial effect, transforming the musical interpretation into an immersive music experience beyond hearing. The piano music of four Chinese and Western composers from different periods forms an interesting sense of dialogue with the visual interaction design by new media artist, Da Yan. It is not only a dialogue between different musical styles of China and the West, but also a dialogue of creative aesthetics across media and time. PROGRAM (subject to change)Makrokosmos (Volume I &Volume II, excerpts) / George CrumbVibration of the Heavens / Zhibo Xu Commissioned by RAW - CSIAFThree Etudes-tableaux No.3 / Qing ShaoChina Gates / John Adams
One day the tipsy Qian Daduan, a sorehead poor scholar, found a copper coin on his way back home. Badly in need of money, he hesitated a lot whether to take it or not. In the end, he made the firm resolution to resist the temptation of wealth and take pains to study.
In Retrospect takes kunqu opera, Chinese classical dance and contemporary dance as the main forms to express the revival of kunqu opera in peoples mind. Through the separation and integration of movement elements, the graceful style of kunqu opera and the free collision of contemporary dance are combined to tell the cultural collision between modern culture and traditional Chinese culture in different slow and fast rhythms and in different situations of static and dry.
Tale of Seeking the Mountain is adapted from Volume Strange, A Taoist From Lao Mountain. Wu was a male intellectual, who departed from Guangdong to seek the Mountain. He had been to Danxia Mountain, Heng Mountain in Hunan, finally he had made his way to Lao Mountain in Shandong, been apprenticed to his mater to learn sorcery. Taoist from Lao Mountain, his master, taught him the spell to be invisible. By the time Wu was home, his mother was long gone. A month in Wonder Land had brought great changes to the world. Wu begged his mater for a reunion with his mother. For exchange of his wish, Wus Life had been given to his mother. Wu saw his mother again but he could no longer stay by her side, for himself was old and aging.
The Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) is a portable orchestra for the new millennium. With an emphasis on improvisation, it explores the meeting points between disciplines and cultures, and imagines new musical forms to reflect the energy and diversity of contemporary Australia. Now in its 25th year and led by prolific composer, trumpeter and sound artist, Peter Knight, the Australian Art Orchestra features some of Australias most celebrated jazz musicians. It tours both locally and internationally and has won numerous awards for its work including three Australian Jazz Bell awards, the 2014 AMC/APRA Art Music Award ‘Excellence by an Organisation, the 2013 AMC/APRA Art Music Award ‘Performance of the Year and many others. In Water Pushes Sand, composer Erik Griswold and the Australian Art Orchestra team up with all-star musicians and performers of Sichuan to create a wild intercultural celebration. The ten-piece big band fuses Sichuan melodies and rhythms with modern jazz improvisation, and evoke the vibrant landscape of the Chengdu Provence. Known for its brash and friendly people, spicy food, laid back tea houses, and the distinctive dialects, Chengdu is unique in China. Chengdu-style music is more like blues or early rock and roll than classical music, and combines colours from rustic country folk, street songs and the ear splitting cacophony of gongs and cymbals.