A violinist plays her solo in the performance of “The Creation” by Franz Josef Haydn. The Shanghai International Choral League presented the entire work for the first time in Shanghai. Members of the orchestra were mostly from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Nanjing was the capital of China for centuries and it thus occupies a special place in the annals of Chinese history. Nanjing is the tale of two cities, the old city surrounded by an enormous wall – and the vibrant and growing new city which is challenging Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for status as a “top tier” Chinese cultural and commercial center. Inside the wall, however, visitors will find many beautiful and peaceful places like the one above where the aura of ancient Chinese culture is still palpable.
The sylvan scene above is part of the “Humble” Garden located in the city of Suzhou. Although is looks completely natural, spectacular vistas such are more often than not planned and constructed to look completely natural. There is a walkway linking the various parts of the garden and is constructed so as to give the visitor the impression that she is in a natural environment when, in reality, the bustling city is sometimes only a short walk away. Such gardens are meant as places to wonder at and in which to contemplate, relax, and commune with nature.
This picture was taken by accident. When I went to delete it, something struck me about the way in which the organ itself was blurred by the motion of my Ipad. The picture seemed to reveal something that, at first I could not put my finger on. When coming across it again a few days later, however, I realized the blurriness could be representative of what music might look like, being breathed out of these pipes – a visual representation of sound filling the space into which it has been released.
Pu Xi is the Chinese name for West Shanghai – it literally means “west of the Pu (Huangpu) River.” These folks are taking in the “older” Pu Xi skyline from their vantage point of the “newer” city side of Pu Dong (East Shanghai). On either side of the river is a large walking path known as the Bund, where tens of thousands promenade at all hours of the day and night. Along the way are many historic buildings that are occupied by restaurants, banks, government agencies, corporations, and hotels.
I had the pleasure of working with The Bach Choir of Hong Kong in preparation for a performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The choir is one of the oldest in the city dedicated to performing the masterworks of Western choral music. It is comprised of native Chinese as well as expats from all over the world. The ensemble often performs with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and presents its concerts in the main concert hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The photo above was taken in one of the facility’s large rehearsal rooms in December 2013.
The Chinese love gardens and the cities in the Eastern part of China where I have been spending the greatest amount of time – cities like Suzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou – all are home to many spectacular gardens. So beautiful and prolific are these gorgeous sanctuaries, like the one above, that it would be impossible to capture all of the spectacular vistas that one has at every turn. These photos do not do them the justice that they deserve, for missing is the solitude and quiet majesty of these manmade wonders. I have taken to wandering them whenever I feel like life is moving too fast. An hour’s walk is all that it takes for me to regain my equilibrium (and my sanity).
The dragon is the only “mythical” creature in the Chinese zodiac and represents the “earthly branch” of existence. Dragons can wield tremendous power and take many different shapes and sizes. They are a common architectural feature, especially adorning old buildings. The stain glass dragon above is a part of the ceiling in the dining room of the Peace Hotel in the Pu Xi (West) section of Shanghai.
The city of Hangzhou is about a two-hour train ride to the south of Shanghai. It is much smaller than Shanghai, with a population of around six million. It was the capital of the Song Dynasty and is considered to be one of the most important historic places in Eastern China. You would never guess from the picture that the climate of Hangzhou is about the same as that of northern Florida. So it was all the more special for me that I witnessed the first January snowfall in more than three decades. The famous parks and gardens were still somewhat in bloom as the heavy wet flakes settled down upon the landscape, and it seemed as if the entire population came out to admire the mantle of white.
Every October musicians of all stripes come to the Shanghai Music Expo, one of the largest exhibitions of its type in the world. It attracts some ten thousand visitors per day. Just about every type of instrument imaginable is represented – from traditional Chinese to the Western standards like the guitars shown above. As you see, instruments also come in almost every size, shape and color. The only instrument that I could not find at the expo was a harpsichord – maybe something can be done about that someday?