Guqin master cheng yu [March 2002]
The purpose of my trip to London was to learn from Cheng Yu, pupil of Liu XiangTing, master GuQin practitioner.
Cheng Yu was to perform with the UK Chinese Ensemble at the Purcell Room and I was invited to the concert. The experience was totally mesmerising, especially Cheng Yu’s solos on the GuQin and Pipa. I was amazed at the range of techniques and tricks employed on both these instruments. The experienced was an eye-opener into the flamboyance of the Chinese and their music. It is of interest to note that the so-called Chinese Classical music commonly performed on stage is a very controlled almost staid version of the surreal and eccentric performance I was exposed to at the concert. Read the rest of this entry »
