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UD’s Xiang Gao performs with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
4:10 p.m., Nov. 20, 2006--The ancient Silk Road from the Orient to Rome was a series of trade routes where civilizations of the East and West met and mingled, and in 1998, famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma established a modern-day Silk Road Project, linking the cultural legacies of the countries along the routes. “As we interact with unfamiliar musical traditions, we encounter voices that are not exclusive to the community. We discover voices that belong to one world,” Ma, who has made musical history with the Silk Road Project, said. As part of the Silk Road Project, Ma invited renowned UD violinist and associate professor of music, Xiang Gao, for two week-long residencies--one at the Rubin Museum in New York and one at Harvard University. “Yo-Yo Ma is a special musician, and it was a great honor to be invited to play with him and to be part of the Silk Road Project,” Gao said. “It's a wonderful program, introducing and playing different kinds of music, building bridges between cultures. The theme of the residency in New York was the cultures of the Himalayan region.” During the residencies, Gao interacted and played with Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble. There were concerts, open rehearsals, demonstrations, workshops and discussions, Gao said. On one occasion, Gao performed with Ma and his Silk Road ensemble at Harvard's Dance Center. “It was a kind of jam session with dancers performing, as well,” Gao said. Gao is a founding member and violinist of the China Magpie ensemble, one of the Silk Road performing groups based in Beijing, China, which performed at Delaware two years ago and is scheduled for a concert at UD on May 18. The group features Li Hui on the pipa, a Chinese lute; lead vocalist Wu Tong, a Chinese wind instrument master on the sheng, a Chinese mouth organ; and Liu Lin on the ruan, a moon-shaped round guitar. The group presents a mix of ancient Chinese folk music and different styles of Western music from classical to popular. One of its offerings during the residencies was a new composition by China Magpie, titled “Nine Rivers,” celebrating the Yaluzangbu River that originates in the snow and ice of the Himalayas and links China, Tibet and India. China Magpie was well-received during its performance at a concert in the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, Gao said. Jeremy Eichler of the Boston Globe wrote, “The night was almost stolen by a group called China Magpie....the arrangements struck a delicate balance between old and new, between a respect for folk materials and a flair for showcasing them with vibrant playing, urgent communication and rhythmic energy borrowed from rock....this is a group with things to say.”
Gao is scheduled to join Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble again in February in Chicago. “In the future, I would like to invite maestro Yo-Yo Ma to the University of Delaware to inspire our students, faculty, staff members and the local audience,” Gao said. Currently, Gao is preparing for a Master Players Chambers Series concert, “An Encounter with Brahms,” at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, in Mitchell Hall. International concert pianist Orli Shaham, cellist Peter Wiley of the world-renowned Guarneri String Quartet, concert violist Victoria Chiang and UD hornist John David Smith will join Gao, who is artistic director of the chamber series, with Brian Stone, UD orchestra, to host the event. The program will include Brahms' Quartet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, Opus 25 and his Trio for Horn, Piano and Violin in E Flat Major, Opus 40. In addition, free and open to the public, guest master classes will be held from 1:25-2:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 1, in the Gore Recital Hall of the Center for the Arts and the Loudis Recital Hall of the Amy du Pont Music Building. For more information about the concert series and to order tickets, go to [www.music.udel.edu/public/masterplayers/MPCS_bro_2006v3.pdf]. Article by Sue Moncure
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