Lang Lang

We went to the Kennedy Center for a little Chinese culture. The month of October is The Festival of China, 'the largest celebration of Chinese performing arts in American history.' Since we are going to soon be a Chinese American family we're looking for opportunities to expose ourselves to the culture whenever we have an opportunity. This series of programs will be a great way to deepen our understanding and appreciation for our childs country of origin.

For our first night we chose to see the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra with our friend Jason and Trish, who are also adopting from China. The orchestra was one of the first founded in China after the cultural revolution in 1949. It might sound silly, but I don't think I have seen such a large orchestra on stage before. They had a very large and powerful sound. Three pieces by Chinese composers were on the program:

• Cantonese Music Suite, Op. 51
• Iris Devoilee (Iris Unveiled)
• Yellow River Piano Concerto

Due to a scheduling change the first piece they performed was Iris Dévoilée, by Chen Qigang, a mélange of sorts that tried to evoke 'the multifaceted female disposition.' I wasn't impressed with the piece as a whole, but rather with moments. There were parts for 3 female voices and 3 traditional Chinese instruments. One of the female voices was a performer with the Peking opera. I have to readily admit to having almost no previous exposure to Chinese Opera. Having it thrust at me in the midst of a western style orchestration was probably not the most appropriate introduction. She was beautifully dressed in traditional attire with an impressive red headdress, but when she opened her mouth out came a rather contraditory screech that was like nails on a chalkboard. I'll have to give Chinese Opera another change, at another time.

The 2nd piece was lovely, but you could tell that the audience was eagerly waiting for the finale with the piano soloist Lang Lang. I had heard his name before this evening, but I had no idea of his following in China nor his world-wide fame. He didn't disappoint. The Yellow River Concerto is full of drama, speed, and flare, the later quality allowing Lang Lang to exhibit his exceptional dexterity and virtuosity on the ivorys.

As might be expected in a performance of this nature at a festival of China, the audience was overwhelming comprised of Chinese. I was most impressed with the fact that a majority of people brought their young children. This is usually not the case for a typical Sunday evening performance at the Kennedy Center. It was rather nice to see the kids sitting quietly and enjoying the music with their parents. I hope Michelle and I can overcome the general American tendency to exclude their children from such 'adult' performances as we raise our daughter.