1200 year old qin and LXT

[Si]

www.chineseculture.net/guqin/qinmusic2.htm

have you all seen this great vid.

[SCWGuqin]

Nice. Though now I have to ask the kind of question that would earn me a "VERBOTEN" on the old board.

Doesn't his style seem rather...jittery? I've always had reservations that, while LXT's way of rendering traditional pieces is interesting and rewards study, there's often a disconnect with what the piece is actually supposed to convey. Qiu Sai Yin is a perfect example: it's supposed to be a lamentation, full of feeling, and LXT makes it too energetic. (Or do you disagree?) I think his style is best suited to pieces already brimming with anger and energy, like XXSY and GLS.

For a long time I had LXT pigeonholed as "Mr. angry-and-energetic", but then I heard his improvisations. I am a little perplexed by the enormous distance between his improvs and his traditional renderings. I sometimes wonder whether he feels "compelled" to play hyper-energetic for traditional pieces, since that was required or expected of him in previous decades, and since perhaps it communicates to the masses more easily. His improvs often seem to let him "relax" for a change.

[hezekiahpipstraw]

utmostvacuity2 said:

Qiu Sai Yin is a perfect example: it's supposed to be a lamentation, full of feeling, and LXT makes it too energetic. (Or do you disagree?) I think his style is best suited to pieces already brimming with anger and energy, like XXSY and GLS.

Guangling San "brimming with anger and energy" - yes. But Xiao Xiang? The best versions I've heard have been more like melancholy regret.

[carol]

"angry and energetic"? I've always called that ambitious. I guess angry and energetic is also right.

His Chinese painting is the same way, massive use of black and red contrast, give a strong impression.

Then the improvisation is more calm and soul searching. Isn't that the typical Chinese man way? A balance of confusianism and daoism.

[SCWGuqin]

Hezekiah: (welcome, by the way!) To my mind, XXSY has a very complex subject matter, and it does have considerable room for anger. Here I'll shamelessly quote my own website: "“Mist on the Xiao and Xiang Rivers”, one of China’s supreme musical creations, centers on the act of withdrawal from society and retreat from an apparently hopeless situation. Far from his former life and responsibilities, the protagonist experiences both the mystical joy of union with nature and bottomless despair and rage at what he has been forced to do, as he is torn between freedom and obligation." As far as I can tell, none of the older players before Wu Jinglue rocked out on this piece and emphasized the anger and vigor. That has since become a popular way to render it, or at least to infuse it emotionally. I agree that the more subdued versions are sublime, but I welcome the added range to the performing tradition.

Carol: If you do some digging, you'll find that I've been uncertain about LXT's motivations and merits for some time. I've never met him and can't speculate about his personality, but my best guess currently is that he has been made the way he is by the conservatory system. He is *capable* of great subtlety and artistry, but generally doesn't exercise that in traditional pieces. This need not indicate ambition--"survival" could work as an explanation too, considering his professional and historical context.

[blueharp]

I had the great pleasure to attend a performance by LXT. IMHO the most transporting performances were the improvisations. He asked to audience to give him a theme to impovise about. Someone called out "Snow in the Mountians". He thought for just a moment and then began to play. The improvisation evoked snow falling. It was thoughtful and poetic.

[Si]

I think that seems to be a very pure and natural way to play qin.

I would like to think that that was how it was originally played. ie: improv based on the persons mood etc.

But thats just my romantic idea!

[hezekiahpipstraw]

Nothing to do with this thread, or indeed any of them, but I see some people are classed as professors, doctors, music students or beginners, but I'm a commoner. I think that's a little offensive, so I'd like it changed to 'oik', which means pretty much the same thing but is at least humorous/self-deprecating.

[Charlie Huang]

Well, I said before that the term 'commoner' means an undergraduate student at Oxford, so is not offensive in that context given the university class ranks I have implemented. However, if you feel even that is offensive, then I will change it for the sake of the layman. Anyways, you only need to achieve 2 more posts in order for you to be promoted to the second level; an incentive to stick around the forum and contribute more instead of the post one and then leave club!

[Si]

i like "oik", mybe that can be level 2. should also have "peasant" as the base level as there are loads of them in china and you can spot them a mile off.

[hezekiahpipstraw]

syburn said:

i like "oik", mybe that can be level 2. should also have "peasant" as the base level as there are loads of them in china and you can spot them a mile off.

I'd be very happy to stay an oik, too. No ambitions at all to be promoted.
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[hezekiahpipstraw]

hezekiahpipstraw said:

syburn said:

i like "oik", mybe that can be level 2. should also have "peasant" as the base level as there are loads of them in china and you can spot them a mile off.

I'd be very happy to stay an oik, too. No ambitions at all to be promoted.
javascript:add("%20:)")

But it seems I have been. Damn, now I'll have to reregister under a different name.

[Charlie Huang]

Don't you dare or I'll get the cane!

Anyways, it's not an issue for you now...