16 | Tuesday, April 7, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE The sounds of succor Prominent Chinese musicians provide comfort and support during the pandemic with online shows, Chen Nan reports.
n these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to con tinue to share some of the music that gives me com ‘Ifort,” says YoYo Ma, the renowned cellist, who has been trying to pro vide succor during the coronavirus pandemic. Since March 14, Ma has been post ing videos of himself performing short music pieces on his social media platforms. The first video he posted was his rendition of Antonin Dvorak’s Going Home from 1893’s Symphony No 9 and then on March 17, he post ed: “This is for the healthcare work ers on the front lines — the Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite No 3. Your ability to balance human connection and scientific truth in service of us all gives me hope.” All his videos are posted using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort, which is an idea he came up with spontane ously. “I was in the office one day and we were talking like ‘let’s do some thing in this time that actually serves people’s needs’. Somehow, music has always been comforting to me. This is what I do and this is the best that I can offer. I know that people are doing everything that they can to help in whatever way they know how,” the cellist says in an interview with PBS NewsHour at his home in Massachusetts, the Somehow, music has United States. “When I was 19, I had a teacher always been who said ‘YoYo, you haven’t found comforting to me. your voice’. I said OK and I kept look ing for my voice. I think that my This is what I do and voice is in finding the needs of oth this is the best that I ers and then representing them. If we can express what’s inside, it gives can offer. I know that a deeper understanding of one people are doing another.” The cellist also encourages and everything that they invites others to join him to post vid can to help in eos to give comfort. “We are collect ing what is personal, what is true, whatever way they what is trustworthy, what is com know how.” munity,” he says. One of the musicians who joined Yo-Yo Ma, cellist in Ma’s “songs of comfort” project is Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang prov associate my music with the word Wu joined in several online shows shared online as part of the “songs pipa player Wu Man, a longtime ince, Wu became the first recipient of ‘comfort’.” organized by the NCPA and Chinese of comfort” project on April 6. Top right: Cellist YoYo Ma, the friend of Ma and a principal musi a master’s degree in pipa at the Cen She adds that the piece is a combi media platforms, such as Lifeweek “There is no stage, no lights and initiator of the Silk Road Ensem cian and a founding member of the tral Conservatory of Music in Beijing. nation of slower and faster tempos and Youku, which all received warm no applause from audience. But ble, launches a project to bring Grammy Awardwinning Silk Road She moved to the US in 1990 and and reflects her mood at the feedback. when I play music at home, I still solace and hope through music Ensemble, which Ma initiated about has imbued the 2,000yearold, moment. “Usually, I perform or give lectures feel the energy music brings to me, to people amid the COVID19 two decades ago to find the meeting fourstringed Chinese lute with a “The ongoing viral outbreak has in front of a real audience, members which is important,” says Wu Tong, pandemic. XINHUA points of musical traditions contemporary vim, infusing it into a hit all aspects of our lives heavily. My of which may be shy to ask me ques 48, who comes from a prominent Top left: Pipa player Wu Man, a between China and Europe. variety of genres, like jazz, rock and son’s university has canceled its tions and share their ideas about my family of sheng makers. founding member of the ensem Wu played the classic Chinese electronic music as well as perform graduation ceremony in May, which music. But with the online shows, I During his days of staying at ble, says the “songs of comfort” pipa piece, titled Da Lang Tao Sha ing with symphony orchestras, con is very sad. We’ve been looking for receive many questions, which is home, Wu Tong has spent hours project helps to connect people (Great Waves Washing the Sand) temporary dance and theater ward to that day for years. As musi very inspiring,” Wu says. adapting musical pieces and prac during the pandemic. composed by Hua Yanjun in 1950, productions. cians, we face challenges when our Also joining in Ma in offering ticing meditation. He canceled his Above left: Sheng player Wu recording the piece at her US home “I’ve received lots of messages aft shows are canceled,” says Wu. musical solace via the project is Wu plans to record in Japan and shoot a Tong joins YoYo Ma’s project of in California. er I posted the piece online. The mes She had planned to give two Tong, a member of the Silk Road documentary in the US, as well as posting music online. “When YoYo sent me an email sages were sent from all around the shows at the National Center for the Ensemble since 2000, who plays the some other planned performances. Above right: The 20yearold about his ‘songs of comfort’ project, world, including questions about my Performing Arts in Beijing over sheng, a traditional wind instru “Since we all have to slow down Silk Road Ensemble aims to I thought it was a great idea to com musical instrument, about my music March 1415 by working with the ment. due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s find the meeting points of musi municate with music and to bring learning experiences along with NCPA Orchestra, which have been Wu Tong has shared his music a time to reflect upon our lives, to cal traditions between China joy to people during this hard time,” good wishes. It really connects peo postponed to August 2021. “I felt through online shows since the out call for compassion and change,” he and Europe. says Wu. “I chose the piece because ple during these hard days,” Wu says. frustrated and disappointed, but break. He has arranged Bach’s Air says. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY it’s from my hometown, and I “I think a lot about the function of then I rescheduled my life and, sur on the G String, a part of the com haven’t played it for a very long music because of this project and prisingly, I found new audiences for poser’s Orchestral Suite No 3, for his Contact the writer at time.” it’s really an opportunity for me to my music through online events.” musical instrument, which was [email protected] Masking their true talent, volunteer musicians get to work
By CHEN NAN because I was so nervous and focused,” Zhou says. Guo Zhongbao is used to playing “The factory staff work day and for a full house in concert halls. The night and they deserve respect from melodies usually linger on in his everyone.” head even after the music ends. She says members of the orches But Guo, the principal French tra will continue to volunteer to horn player of the Shanghai Sym work at Shanghai’s mask factories. phony Orchestra, recently had a spe The 140yearold Shanghai Sym cial night when he volunteered to phony Orchestra has been trying to work at a local face mask factory in connect with audiences through Shanghai. online programs, such as shows After he ended his shift on the and music courses, since all of its production line — from 9 pm on planned concerts and public March 24 to 3 am on March 25, Guo events were canceled due to the arrived at home with the sound of outbreak. the machine still ringing in his head. The first online show, performed “It was the first time that I had by a string quartet from the orches worked in a factory, and the Left: An online show by a string quartet from the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra attracts over 1 million viewers on March 14. tra on March 14, attracted over 1 mil machines generated noise, which Center and right: Musicians from the orchestra work as volunteers at a local factory in Shanghai. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY lion viewers. bounced back and forth in the space The second online show, marking for the whole night. The sounds even the 250th birthday of Ludwig van appeared in my dreams over the Guo had two main jobs as a volun They worked the night shift and were divided into groups and were Like Guo, Zhou was also responsi Beethoven, one of the most next few nights,” says Guo, 40, who teer at the mask factory: fixing the made a total of 44,000 face masks given different tasks, from checking ble for trimming the edges of the renowned composers of all time, has been playing with the Shanghai ear loops to the masks and trim on that day. the quality to the final packaging. masks. was held on March 26, featuring a orchestra since he graduated from ming the edges of the face covering. According to Zhou Ping, presi “Because of the viral outbreak, the “It’s quite a difference between theme of spring. the Shanghai Conservatory of Music “I stayed focused on placing the dent of the orchestra, who also put country faced a severe shortage of watching workers making face “The pandemic will end, and we with a master’s degree in 2003. face masks on the machine one by in a shift on the production line that face masks. In the middle of the cor masks on TV and making face look forward to the day when audi “As a musician, I am very sensitive one and the tempo had to be accu night, all of the volunteers had their onavirus pandemic, we want to offer masks by ourselves. The workers ences return to the concert halls to sounds. When working on the rate,” he says. temperature checked and were dis our help. Volunteering at the face trained us before we actually started and share music with us again. The production line, I tried to follow the Guo was among 15 volunteers infected before entering the factory. mask factory is one of the most to work on the production line. Aft experience of fighting against the beat of the machine, which gave my from the orchestra to work at the Since the entire production proc direct and efficient ways of helping,” er two hours of working, my mus virus makes us treasure what we work a rhythm.” factory on March 25. ess was mechanized, volunteers Zhou says. cles were stiff and I was sweating have more than ever,” Zhou says.