- Date 2010.08.23
- Venue National Concert Hall
Cloudy Mountains, Distant Gees
Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra
Comments on the Finalist
The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra is composed of musicians carefully selected from the pool of music school graduates. The orchestra has been led by the young conductor Chen, Chih-Sheng, and, relying on their sturdy foundation in music training and carefully arranged playlists, is committed to performing only music. While various important orchestras are devoted to interdisciplinary elements or theatricality to promote themselves, the Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra remains pure and fresh in tradition. The Nostalgia concert presents the modern philharmonic works of four young composers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Compositions reflect the traditional musical styles of different regions, yet respond to the conditions of the modern philharmonic. In the concert, the works of four composers are presented, with each exhibiting different concepts of voice and harmony that have been developing for over half a century, while reflecting the history of folk music.Committee member: Fan, Wei-Zi
Artwork Introduction
The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra's “Cloudy Mountains, Distant Gees” took place on August 23rd, 2010, at the National Concert Hall as a celebration of their 10th anniversary.
The concert conducted by the orchestra's artistic director Chen, Chih-Sheng, featured zheng soloist Li Wu from China who gave the world premiere of a new concerto “Over the Tip of the Clouds,” by Chinese composer Tao, Yi-Mo. Also showcasing the young talents of Taiwan, the concert included pipa soloist Tsai, Szu-En and erhu soloist Ho, Pei-Ting performing works by Taiwanese composers Liu, Shueh-Shuan and Yun Lu.
Commissioned by the Canton Chinese Orchestra in 2005, “Cloudy Mountains, Distant Gees” is an orchestral composition by Chinese composer Wang, Dan-Hong, based on a famous Chaozhou style zheng solo piece titled “Eighteen Sections of Hujia.” Having developed the original theme, Wang created variations, and re-constructed the piece based on a traditional mode in Chaozhou music. At the same time, he attempted to preserve the grandness of the ancient style.
The objectives of this project were to showcase Taiwanese compositions, to observe and learn from the masters on both sides of the Strait, and to provide more performance experiences and opportunities for young Taiwanese performers. The mission of gCO is to continue with great musical traditions and create new voices at the same time, fostering the musicality of our musicians.
As the cultural exchange between Taiwan and China becomes more frequent, musicians playing traditional instruments in Taiwan are advancing their techniques rapidly. The collaboration with Chinese composers and musicians has been crucial in this development, and it helps to form the basis for the Taiwanese musicians to establish a unique voice. Through this concert series, the gCO actively facilitates this collaboration, and taking root in the esthetics and philosophy of the Han tradition to enrich the music of our time.
About the Artist
The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (gCO) was founded in October 2000 by its artistic director and conductor Chen, Chih-Sheng. A strong musical force in Taiwan, the gCO represents a new generation of Chinese orchestral music.
The gCO’s repertoire ranges from the classics of Chinese traditional works to the latest contemporary compositions by Taiwanese and Chinese composers. Offering a full season at Taiwan’s prestigious National Concert Hall, gCO presents both the full orchestra of over one hundred musicians and smaller chamber ensembles.
In recent years, the orchestra has presented large-scale interdisciplinary projects, combining theatre and multimedia with orchestral music and has toured internationally.
