It
was a busy weekend with PNE, dragon boat racing at the Taiwanese
Cultural Festival, but we did manage to go to the Enchanted Evenings
music concert at Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Classical Gardens in Vancouver's Historic Chinatown.
Silk Road Music ensemble was featured for the last performance of the summer long music series. It is led by my friend Qiu Xia He who
helped create this wonderful jewel of a cultural series. I first
got to know Qiu Xia and her husband Andre Thibault when they were
featured in the CBC television performance special Gung Haggi Fat Choy,
and they later performed with me at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners
and First Night performances.
It was a wonderful performance that
also featured their friend Celso Machado, himself a virtuoso guitarist
and percussionist. Qiu Xia, told the audience that she wanted to
change the lineup for this year's concert and highlight some of the
music that she and Andre are doing to feature the pipa (chinese lute)
in more adventurous musical settings.
Here is the set list with descriptions from the program:
Han Ya Xi Shui (traditional)
Traditional Chinese Pipa solo. A Piece that reflects the beauty
of a Chinese garden. A lonesome duck contemplating and enjoying
the solitude of the water.
Fire! Fire! Fire! (Qiu Xia He)
A composition that captures the flamboyance of the Chinese Pipa and
Flamenco guitar rushing through a chain of flamboyant emotions.
Entre Lagose montanhas (Celso Machado)
A new composition that combines the Pipa with Brazilian guitar.
Celso is an important influence to Qiu Xia's music. His
creativity has helped shape a very exciting sound to the Pipa repetoire.
Lakota's Lament/ Junky Reel (Andre Thibault & Qiu Xia He)
Two pieces composed for the new show “China Speaks your Language” which
will be premiered this fall. Some believe, long before Columbus
discovered North America, the Chinese Junks led by Admiral Zheng He reached this continent around 1421, The song illustrates the meeting between First Nations peoples and Chinese sailors.
Andre sent me this short note:
Hi Todd.
Thanks for coming to our show. We played mostly new works and very
complex at that so we are happy it went as well as it did,it was
fabulous to have Celso on board also.