Author Archives: YingZhang

On the Sunday of April 7^th, I had the pleasure to attend a piano recital offered by Vancouver Chopin Society (VCS). A friend of mine recommended this event to me because of its fine selection of music pieces. I have heard about VCS before, but this was my first time to attend its concert. The purpose of this organization is to promote cultural interaction and emphasize the importance of music for the Vancouver people. This year, they invited two accomplished pianists to hold recital concerts and I went to the one featuring Nelson Goerner. The second one with Kate Liu will be on May 19^th.

The concert consisted of seven classical pieces with two encores added at the end. It lasted around two hours with an intermission of half an hour. The first piece was Brahms’s KlavierstuckeOp. 119. The short character piece served well as a lovely start. He first played No.1 Intermezzo in B minor which was gentle and sentimental. Then the No.2 Intermezzo in E minor built on the previous piece and added a bit more eager and lively tone. The No.3 Intermezzo in C major came afterward became obviously powerful. Finally, the No. 4 Rhapsody in E-flat major as the most well-known movement in the entire piece was played passionately and the many striking chords were hit with a perfect sense of phase.

Then the second piece was the long-awaited “Appassionata”, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op.57. It has been my favorite out of all classical pieces because of its dramatic and creative melody, especially the first movement Allegro assai. It has three underlying motives: the haunting triadic figure of the opening, its trilled ending, and the knocking fate motto. Then the second movement Andante was played with a calm beginning. Then the repetitions of a diminished seventh chord were done beautifully. The third and final movement Allegro ma non-troppo was rushed to an extreme. The coda with a dance-like theme concluded in a series of stunning and brilliant final chords. Overall, without much subtle or romantic retouch, the piece was rather done in a fierce way.

The third and fourth pieces are Schumann’s Papillons Op. 2 and Toccata in C major Op.7. I did some study behind them. Papillons is a short character piece that is based on the idea of a masked ball. Eleven of the twelve miniatures are in triple time the meter of a waltz. The Toccata in comparison is more demanding of the virtuosity and stamina of the pianist. There are some visible awkward leaps and frequently repeated notes. Nelson performed it effortlessly and passionately, which made the audiences blown away.

The fifth, sixth and seventh pieces all belong to Chopin. They were Nocturne in C minor Op. 48 No.1, Nocturne in E flat major Op. 55 No. 2 and Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise in E flat major Op. 22. Nelson mastered the smoothness and harmony of Chopin and brought us into the world of the elegant nocturnes. The audiences gave a big round of applause and he played two encores. I later found out that he was described as “majestic in Chopin” by the widely respected French newspaper Le Monde, without a doubt.

I felt fortunate to have this musical experience with such a talented pianist and enjoy the pieces by Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin live in Vancouver.

I attended this concert on the Friday night of March 15^th, 2019 with a close friend of mine. She is a fan of Debussy and we were motivated to come to this event by the charm of Debussy’s “La Mer”. The concert consisted of three pieces by three different composers from different time periods, which felt like being subtly arranged.

The night was started by “A Northern Suite” symphony. The composer is a modern Canadian named John Luther Adams and this piece is dedicated to nature in Canada. The music was intended to convey the feeling of mountains, forests, glaciers, oceans, and winds. It was the first time of this piece being performed and therefore it was recorded. The music was less of melodies with strong emotions, but more of an imitation of the sense of pictures in nature. “A Northern Suite” consists of five movements, “Blue Ice, Crystal Air”, “Mountains Without End”, “Cloud Forest”, “Rivers of Ice” and “Valleys of Frozen Fire”. In the second movement, the music started with the percussions hitting slow and powerful beats which lasted when the strings joined in with a temperament like a cold and nippy wind. You can imagine the wind whistling through the layers of vast mountains in the winter of Canada.

The second piece was a clarinet concerto composed by Jean Francaix. This one is not as related to nature, but rather light-hearted or even mocking. The clarinet soloist Carlos Savall-Guardiola showcased his ability to lead a fast and dynamic melody hopping through the movement. His encore inherited the same style and was beautifully performed as well.

Finally, after intermission, there came the “La Mer” by Claude Debussy. It has three movements with each depicting a portrait of the sea. However, there was not a story that people can easily relate to in their minds, and they would rather feel a blur of senses. The structure was not obvious as the exposition and development parts are hardly distinguishable. The first movement was named as “From dawn to noon on the sea”. It started off with a gentle texture, gradually unveiled a vivid sense of motion, and then ended in a majestic brass chorale. The second movement was called “Play of the waves”. It had a lively texture full of color in comparison to the first movement. It brought us into the fantasy of water with an ever-changing pattern. The third and final movement, “Dialogue of the wind and the sea”, called for awe towards the power of nature. The music conveyed an ultimate majesty that easily held the breath of the audience. The conductor Jonathan Girard brought up the atmosphere whole-heartedly and delivered an overall beautiful and sensational performance.

The whole experience of this concert was mind-blowing and awakening. All of the three pieces are interesting and enjoyable. It gave me the opportunity to have a taste of contemporary Canadian music, a modern and vibrant concerto, and a classic masterpiece of Debussy. It was a night full of senses and imaginations evoked by the full orchestra. We discovered a useful tip of listening to UBC Symphony Orchestra upon entrance which might be worth sharing here: Chan Center offered free tickets for students at a separate window on the left of the ticket office.

While traveling in Seattle during the reading break, I took the chance to attend the 5^th Avenue Theatre’s debut of the Rock of Ages musical. I knew about this show from its Chinese reproduction and watched a brief clip of rehearsal online. That was when I found myself touched by the song “Dead or Alive”. I have always been more attracted by classical or country music before and deem rock music as somehow consuming. But because of “Dead or Alive” and the coincidence that Seattle was holding the show for the entire February, I decided to give it a try.

I did my research beforehand. Rock of Ages was composed to glorify the classic rock songs by the famous bands from the 1980s, the golden era of rock. That was the reason why songs by Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi and other recognized bands were integrated into its story-telling. It aimed to call for a nostalgic feeling for the rock fans and carry on their Rock n’ Roll spirit. The original Broadway production was revealed in 2009 and the Seattle reproduction was celebrating its 10^th-year anniversary.

Act One introduced how a young girl Sherrie came to Los Angeles in pursuit of her rock star dream and how she met a club busboy Drew. “Sister Christian” was one of the very few songs with a soothing and lyrical texture throughout the show and it expressed Sherrie’s loneliness as well as her firm determination towards setting off her journey. The accompaniment was first full of rapidly repeated chords from the drum kit and electrical bass guitars, until being replaced by a monophonic melody from a keyboard when Sherrie and Drew met. It maintained a romantic atmosphere for a moment and then switched back to the repetitive and heavy drum beats when they started to discuss LA and the rock club that Drew worked at.

Then a highlight of the show started when the inebriated superstar Stacee came after being invited by the owner of the club to give his farewell concert. “I’m a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride; I’m wanted dead or alive”. As the lyrics were sung in a lazy and arrogant voice, he portrayed a rebellious and dissolute figure who was loved and hated by the crowd at the same time. There were heavy metal beats from the percussion accompanying the singing during the climax, creating an orgiastic atmosphere for the audiences.

Act Two was about how the rock lovers in the district fought against the mayor who tried to close down the club under the advice of a German expert. They achieved their goal through collaboration and moreover, through arousing love. In the end, when every character fixed their relationship with their loved ones or found their true love, the people united and sang “Don’t Stop Believing” together in forceful and emotional tones. The voice of Drew (played by Galen Disston) was particularly warm and penetrating. The metal beats by the percussion reached its loudest and strongest and the high notes by the electrical guitars added an even more contagious taste. The whole floor of audiences including me could not help to stand up and sing along. The music became a reminder of our longing for love and pursuit for dreams.

It was in all an eye-opening and fantastic experience. Not only did I discover the charm of rock music, but also become empowered by the human spirit that the music conveyed. There was a poster in front of the theater, and I would like to share its interpretation of the significance of a great musical: “It puts a song in your heart, paints the world with color and adds a certain lightness to your step”. I would love to attend another musical whenever I get a chance.

It was my second time watching Die Zauberflötebut but the first time watching it performed by UBC Opera. My friend and I attended in the sunny afternoon of February 3^rd with a light-hearted mood. We both knew the plot of the opera and were expecting to be amazed and entertained by the dramatic story.

Die Zauberflöte is one of the most well-known masterpieces composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is a Singspiel as it combines spoken dialogue and singing. The stage setting was not quite exquisite with only four high pillars and some simple furniture such as coaches and chairs. This is understandable since the performance was made by students and there might be a limited budget. However, it made it hard to reproduce the fairy tale atmosphere of this imagined world in the opera. Nevertheless, the sounds from the singers and the orchestra were interesting enough to draw the full attention of the audiences.

It started with the E major overture which brought a powerful and solemn atmosphere suggesting the majesty of the Queen of the Night. Then the fugue pieces performed by various instruments presented a bright and gentle sense of picture as if the spring has just brought in its energy. Then the overture ended with a soft and peaceful feeling.

Act One introduced how the prince Tamino was rescued by the Three Ladies and tasked by the Queen to bring back her daughter Pamina from the chief priest Sarastro. The parts played the bird catcher Papageno, who was comedic as being dishonest and bragging at times, were a highlight. His songs were weirdly tuned and hilarious, which gave the audiences quite a bit of laughter. The acting of the Three Ladies was humorous as well when they showed their affection towards the prince by singing in imitative melodies and librettos one after another. It established their lively characters and brought out the dignified temperament of the prince. There was an interesting duet conducted by Pamina and Papageno when he tried to comfort her from fear and told her about the rescue plan. They sang in melodious and cheerful voices, which portrayed an optimistic mood.

Act Two presented the process of how Tamino and Pamina underwent a series of trials as requested by Sarastro. As the plot moved forward, it was revealed that Sarastro was an upright figure who kept Pamina captive only to protect her from being raised by the Queen and becoming wicked. The baritone’s voice had a rich and firm texture, which reinforced his representation of justice and leadership. His appearance always followed the ensemble of his subordinates, which helped to create a mysterious and majestic atmosphere. Then we heard the famous aria by the Queen with continuous high notes. It was beautifully accurate although not quite as powerful. There were several sensational duets between Tamino and Pamina, one of which Pamina was extremely upset as she was not aware of the trial requesting Tamino to remain silent in front of her; instead, she thought the prince suddenly turned away from her. The soprano sang her aria with full emotion and conveyed a strong sense of desperation. It was deeply touching.

It was a delightful and enriching experience to watch this classic piece again. The fact that German was not the first language of the singers might affect the quality a bit as the nature of the language could have added a more soulful taste to the voices. Overall, the performance was very nice and worthwhile.

I had the pleasure to attend Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s concert featuring Debussy, Buckner and a contemporary Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy’s work. The conductor of the night was Bramwell Tovey who has led the VSO group for more than 18 years so far and has had great achievements both domestically and internationally. I have always been obsessed with the opportunities of experiencing classical music in concerts and I enjoy playing some easier pieces myself on a piano, with not much expertise.

It was interesting how the concert had a notable emphasis on the charm of harp in a homophonic setting. The guest harpist Heidi Krutzen collaborated with the strings of the orchestra and presented the lovely yet ritualistic “Danse sacrée et danse profane” to open the performance. It was an elegant pair of dance pieces composed by the French Impressionist composer. During the pre-concert talk, it was mentioned that this dance piece was requested from an instrument manufacture to market a modern type of harp that they newly developed and was around ten-minutes long in total. The particularly slow and flowing “Secret Dance” was followed by the faster and more celebratory “Profane Dance” with no break in between. The harp was leading the melody for most of the time while the strings have simpler and more repetitive rhythm. The poetic and ethereal texture of the music was decorated with some occasional higher notes from the harp bringing a little extra vitality. The seamless connection between the strings and the harp brought the audience a pleasant sense of harmony.

The second piece was “En el escuro es todo uno(In the Darkness, All Is One)” by Kelly-Marie Murphy and was created for harp and cello based on the songs by Sephardic Jews. The piece was in four movements, “Lamenta”, “Si Veriash a la rana”, “Yigdal #2” and “Noches, noches, Buenos noches”. To my surprise, the music was not that difficult to appreciate and the composition was rather intriguing. It utilized the variety of the voices of an orchestra and was designed to be polyphonic. It was my first time in a concert to witness the percussions playing a big part of leading the melody. There was even a vase-like instrument that I still could not figure out what it was. The sound of clapping was integrated as well. While the first and the last movements remained slow and atmospheric, the second movement was fast and lively.

The third piece was “Symphony No.6 in A Major” by Anton Bruckner. Last year, I listened to his “Sinfonie Nr. 7 E-Dur” in a concert setting by Vienna Phiharmoniker and was blown away by the dramatic and energetic style of Bruckner’s work. This time, I came in with some similar iconic expectations and found the experience rather gentle and consoling. During the pre-concert talk, the host mentioned that the No.6 was the only symphony that Bruckner has never revised after completion and he was quite satisfied with it. The unusual harmony in this piece reflects the positive circumstance of the composer at that time who was gaining increasing respect and financial stability. Nevertheless, the overall impression was still sublime and powerful. It created more of a sacred atmosphere than the previous two pieces.

Overall, the event was rich in content and gave me a more concrete comprehension of Debussy and Bruckner’s work. VSO was an amazing orchestra and I shall look forward to attending their next performance. It was refreshing for me to appreciate a concert with a critical approach which was encouraged by our MUSIC 326 course. It has subtly empowered me to take away more from musical experiences.