2018年CRI An arts festival to connect China with world

A festival titled "Spring for Chinese Arts" will land in Beijing this April.

The festival will include performances from diverse genres 1, like music, dance, and opera, that carry not only profound cultural connotations but also typical Chinese aesthetic 2 values.

According to its organizer, the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, the festival will continue to invite renowned 3 Chinese artists and production teams and also an increased range of great Chinese artforms.

CRI's Xu Fei has more.

The festival will open with a concert presented by the China Film Orchestra, one of the first national symphony orchestras after the founding of New China in 1949.

Yao Shuo is the producer of this concert, "A Musical Night of Hong Kong Film".

"This concert will reflect the main themes of Hong Kong films produced during the 1980s and 1990s, including chivalrous 4 justice, subtle emotions among people and the entertaining local lifestyle. The music in Hong Kong films is always simple and easily becomes popular with moviegoers. Allowing symphony orchestras to interpret Hong Kong film music will not only enrich the musical style but also convey much stronger emotions. The audience may feel that although they hear familiar melodies, the symphony orchestra creates a charming new effect."

The period from the 1980s to 1990s is regarded as the golden age of Hong Kong films.

A number of classic Hong Kong films, like Swordsman, Rouge 5 and Center Stage, have lingered in the memories of those born in 1970s and 1980s.

While appreciating the music, people may also view segments of many classic movies on an LED screen, including those directed by big names in Hong Kong's film history like Hark Tsui, John Woo, and Kwan Kam Peng.

A performance by Zhaoliang Art, a modern dance theatre, is another highlight of the upcoming festival.

Through literary allusions 6, seamless emotional connection and flowing performances, Zhao Liang and his team of dancers are dedicated 7 to blending fragments of classical stories into a multi-sensory cultural innovation.

He will present the Soul and Desire trilogy, emphasizing the installment 8 of this trilogy titled Dreams of Zen.

"Dreams of Zen tells a story developed from a chapter in 'Dreams of Red Chamber 9' by Cao Xueqin. Many Chinese audiences may complain modern dance is so abstract that it is hard to comprehend. But in fact, I think there's nothing difficult to understand. Above all, it is a valuable viewing experience. China is rich in traditional culture. I often think traditional culture may have modern, international interpretations 10, for example via modern dance. If we build such a link with traditional culture, that is an effective way to carry it forward. Inheriting traditional culture doesn't mean it remains 11 unchanged."

In Dreams of Zen, Jia Baoyu, a lead role in the Dreams of Red Chamber, travels the illusory land of Great Void, where he comes across Fairy Disenchantment. The Fairy demands he guess the birth dates of his four sisters; otherwise, their souls will be gone with the wind.

Respected as the father of folk music in Taiwan, Ara Kimbo will also come to Beijing in late May, bringing "The Call of Valley" concert.

This is a heavyweight act for the "Spring for Chinese Arts" festival.

Ara Kimbo explains:

"The Call of Valley is a concert also involving other folk musicians. A musician will play his self-made percussion 12 instruments. The concert will present about 20 songs, many of which are joint 13 performances."

The program list includes ancient ballads 15 passing over thousand years and Kimbo's own creations.

Kimbo is known for initiating 16 a Taiwan campus folk campaign in 1972, with a ballad 14 named "Beautiful Rice Plants." It shook the contemporary music industry in Taiwan and influenced numerous musicians.

Kimbo's music praises life and nature, including the mountains, seashore, and humid climate, where he gets inspiration for his melodies. Along with giving shows, he also expressed the hope that he will find more students.

"We encourage more and more young people to directly return to tribes and sit down with the local elderly, learning ancient ballads from them. Obtaining firsthand experience, they can easily imitate the unique ways of singing when joining an annual ceremony, or a local club for young people, as well as working in groups."

With the theme "Beauty of Tradition, Shine of the World," this is the third year the annual festival has been held.

During the festival, the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center will present a total of 29 shows, exhibiting Chinese artists' inheritance, exploration, and innovation towards traditional culture, and even further, allowing Chinese arts shine on an international stage.