Event overview
02077172523
Join professional Chinese instrumentalists and their students in this rare music concert that combines Eastern folk traditions and Western classical music.
Gain an insight into a thousand-year old music tradition and ancient Chinese folk music culture with an exciting modern twist as Goldsmiths Confucius Institute presents this special summer concert.
Have your breath taken away as professional guzheng and erhu instrumentalists demonstrate their musical brilliance and pour emotion into their concertos. Goldsmiths Confucius Institute Erhu learners will also perform repertoire they have learned, followed by a short social gathering and chance to interact with performers following the concert.
The Erhu
The erhu is a stringed bow instrument that dates back to the Song dynasty in China, its long history is a testament to the unique sound and expressive music that can emerge from its two strings. Having traditionally been played by beggars, vagabonds, theatrical entertainers and the rural poor it has a poorly recorded and enigmatic history, but the instrument was also interestingly used in processions for the Emperor.
The Guzheng
Gu 古 means ancient and zheng 箏 means zither - an instrument consisting of flat soundbox with moveable bridges and more than 20 strings placed horizontally that are played with the fingers and a plectrum. The strings were tightly strung and zheng-zheng was said to be first used as a way to describe the sound produced by the instrument.
A popular feature of Chinese folk culture, for centuries, ancient poets and writers have penned poems and odes featuring the instrument.
The sound of the Guzheng has been described as 'a pearl smashed into a thousand peices, the thud of a falling knife' as 'crowded notes move lightly through the pillars, hands pass madly over the strings'.
The guzheng is the ancestor of several other Asian types of zither instruments. Its descendants spread all over Asia, such as the Koto in Japan, the Kayagum in Korea and the Dan Tranh in Vietnam.
Concert Programme
Endless Love - Li Wen, Tang Jiaxuan
The Grapes Are Ripe - Li Wen with piano accompaniment by Jack Brown
Big Fish and Begonia - Jaynand Joshi
The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring - RJ
Ballade of Yubei - Liz Aamli
Horse Racing - Li Wen, Liz Aamli, RJ
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 2023 | 6:00pm - 6:30pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
