Wu Man performs “Flute and Drum Music at Sunset (excerpt)”
Filmed in The Astor Chinese Garden Court, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 13, 2016
Popular since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a handwritten score for this traditional pipa piece first appeared in 1875 and contained seven untitled sections. The present score from which this excerpt is derived has eight subtitled sections and is taken from Li Fangyuan's New Collection of 13 Pipa Score, 1895.
Xi Yang Xiao Gu (Flute and Drum Music at Sunset) TRADITIONAL
The Sound of Bells and Drums from a Distant Temple along the River
Moon on the Eastern Mountain
Breeze over the Quiet Water
Shadows of Flowers
Clouds and Water Far Away Become as One
A Fisherman's Song in the Evening
Waves Lapping at the Shore
The Returning Boat
Performer information: Wu Man
Recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and leading ambassador of Chinese music, Grammy Award-nominated musician Wu Man has carved out a career as a soloist, educator and composer giving her lute-like instrument – which has a history of over 2,000 years in China – a new role in both traditional and contemporary music. Through numerous concert tours, Wu Man has premiered hundreds of new works for the pipa, while spearheading multimedia projects to both preserve and create awareness of China’s ancient musical traditions. Her adventurous spirit and virtuosity have led to collaborations across artistic disciplines allowing Wu Man to reach wider audiences as she works to break through cultural and musical borders. Wu Man’s efforts were recognized when she was named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year, the first time this prestigious award has been bestowed on a player of a non-Western instrument.
Having been brought up in the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, Wu Man is now recognized as an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire as well as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music by today’s most prominent composers. She was awarded The Bunting Fellowship at Harvard University in 1998, and was the first Chinese traditional musician to receive The United States Artist Fellowship in 2008. She is also the first artist from China to perform at the White House. Wu Man’s discography includes over 40 albums including the Grammy nominated recordings Our World in Song, Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of the Silk Road Chicago, her recording of Tan Dun’s Pipa Concerto with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, and You’ve Stolen My Heart featuring Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet. Wu Man continues her championing of Zhao Jiping's Pipa Concerto No. 2 with orchestras across the globe, as well as touring with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble.
Born in Hangzhou, China, Wu Man studied with Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa.
Filmed in The Astor Chinese Garden Court, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 13, 2016
Popular since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a handwritten score for this traditional pipa piece first appeared in 1875 and contained seven untitled sections. The present score from which this excerpt is derived has eight subtitled sections and is taken from Li Fangyuan's New Collection of 13 Pipa Score, 1895.
Xi Yang Xiao Gu (Flute and Drum Music at Sunset) TRADITIONAL
The Sound of Bells and Drums from a Distant Temple along the River
Moon on the Eastern Mountain
Breeze over the Quiet Water
Shadows of Flowers
Clouds and Water Far Away Become as One
A Fisherman's Song in the Evening
Waves Lapping at the Shore
The Returning Boat
Performer information: Wu Man
Recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and leading ambassador of Chinese music, Grammy Award-nominated musician Wu Man has carved out a career as a soloist, educator and composer giving her lute-like instrument – which has a history of over 2,000 years in China – a new role in both traditional and contemporary music. Through numerous concert tours, Wu Man has premiered hundreds of new works for the pipa, while spearheading multimedia projects to both preserve and create awareness of China’s ancient musical traditions. Her adventurous spirit and virtuosity have led to collaborations across artistic disciplines allowing Wu Man to reach wider audiences as she works to break through cultural and musical borders. Wu Man’s efforts were recognized when she was named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year, the first time this prestigious award has been bestowed on a player of a non-Western instrument.
Having been brought up in the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, Wu Man is now recognized as an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire as well as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music by today’s most prominent composers. She was awarded The Bunting Fellowship at Harvard University in 1998, and was the first Chinese traditional musician to receive The United States Artist Fellowship in 2008. She is also the first artist from China to perform at the White House. Wu Man’s discography includes over 40 albums including the Grammy nominated recordings Our World in Song, Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of the Silk Road Chicago, her recording of Tan Dun’s Pipa Concerto with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, and You’ve Stolen My Heart featuring Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet. Wu Man continues her championing of Zhao Jiping's Pipa Concerto No. 2 with orchestras across the globe, as well as touring with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble.
Born in Hangzhou, China, Wu Man studied with Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa.
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Creativity