Chen: "Yuan" 1/2

Qigang Chen: Yuan (Origins) for large orchestra (1987/1988) Qigang Chen started learning music from childhood. At the time when Cultural Revolution broke out in China, he was studying at the Music Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. His father, administrator of the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, famous calligrapher and painter, was immediately judged "bourgeois", "antirevolutionary", and sent to a labor camp. As for him young Qigang Chen was kept in confinement during three years and underwent "ideological re-education". Yet his passion for music remained unwavering: he went on learning composition and scoring in spite of social and political anti-cultural pressure.

In 1977, Chinese government re-established the system of contest for entering upper schools. This year, Qigang Chen is one of the twenty-six candidates among two thousands passing successfully the entry examination of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1983, he was the first nominee at the National postgraduate contest and thus got the opportunity to go abroad and carry on a Master's degree. And that was how he discovered France. During four years he received a State grant and studied with Olivier Messiaen (1984-1988).

Olivier Messiaen wrote the following words about Qigang Chen:
Since I left the Conservatory, Chen Qigang has been my only pupil, and if I agreed to work with him for four years, it was because I hold him in high esteem. Endowed with exceptional intelligence, and an excellent internal "ear", he has very quickly assimilated European music and all contemporary music.
I have carefully read all his musical works, and I can state that his compositions display real inventiveness, very great talent and a total assimilation of Chinese thinking to European musical concepts. All his works written since 1985 are remarkable by their thought, their poetry and their instrumentation. I wish Chen Qigang the greatest success, for he deserves it.
- Olivier Messiaen

Category:

Music

Tags:

• modern
• chinese
• new
• music
• messiaen

[MusicaRicercata]

Why the bloody hell is Qigang Chen relatively unknown? This work is fantastic!

[trees1]

Largely influenced by Ligetti and Messiaen, this is Chen's most complex piece. Even the large and complex outlook of the score itself is astonishing.

[rdlubi]

I agree Epogdous... This is like listenning colours from a pallete. AMAZING... And amazing also is the composer´s history...

Thanks NewMusicXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Epogdous]

Wow.. This is not an orchestral score, this is a painting board!!!

[PiaNonuTT]

One of your most original uploads and unexpected ones! A real revelation!

[puzzdos]

This is great! Thanks for posting!

[zhuhezhuhezhuhe]

il est mon prof