Zhao Jiping is one of the best-known composers in China. Among his work are the film scores for several famous movies, such as Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine. He’s known for his ability to combine traditional Chinese instruments and music with conventional western orchestral styles. On Saturday night, the Taipei City Chinese Orchestra performed some of his most famous pieces in a sold-out concert at Zhongshan Hall.

I got my ticket for this event at nearly the last minute, and I didn’t really know what I was going to see. I’ve been to events that turned out to be much smaller than I expected. This one was the exact opposite, and from the opening whirlwind of music it just got bigger and bigger. There was a full orchestra with traditional Chinese instruments of every possible variety, most of which I’d never gotten a close look at before. There were three incredible soloists and then, when I thought I’d seen it all, they brought out a full 60- or 70-member chorus. The audience got exactly what they came for and the nearly endless applause at the end produced not one, not two, but three encores. It was a very satisfying evening for everyone, and the lineup for autographs in the lobby stretched outside of the building.

Unfortunately, I had accidentally purchased a seat on the main floor. I prefer to be up in the balcony, where I get a better view of all the musicians and their instruments. On the main floor, it was difficult to get a view of some of the musicians in the back. I kept hearing strange sounds coming from somewhere, and I had no idea what kind of instrument could produce that sound. I could easily have some (or all) of these names wrong, but a quick search on the Internet gives me these names for some of the instruments I saw: pipa, konghou, erhu, jinghu, gehu, suona, and banhu. There were all kinds of wind instruments and percussion instruments, too, including a massive set of metal pipes on which a tiny woman beat with what looked like the hammers of Thor. It was awesome.

 

Tags: China, Jiping Zhao, music, Taipei, Taipei City Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan, Zhao Jiping, Zhongshan Hall