《春江花月夜》诗意画, From Baidu
Traditional Chinese music, to me, is like a Chinese painting, or a poem. When you listen to it, it reminds you of beautiful nature that surrounds you: mountains, rivers, spring flowers, the moon and its reflections. My choice today, Blossoms on a Spring Moonlit Night, is precisely that, and more.
It was originally written as a poem in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) by poet Zhang Rouxu (660-720). Only two of his poems survived today and Moonlit Night was one of them. The original Chinese poem can be found in the picture below or at the end, if you can read Chinese characters and appreciate it. For the English translation, go HERE.
The Original Poem in Chinese
According to historical records, this piece of classical music was initially a famous Pipa solo, first appeared in Qing Dynasty with a different title. Overtime, it has been adapted to a more modern Chinese instrumental orchestra.
As usual, there are many videos to choose from on YouTube for this most popular music piece. The first one I present to you is a Pipa solo performance, with a fabulous scenery of Zhangjiajie, the first Chinese National Park in Hunan Province. The second was performed by an Ensemble from China Central Orchestra, Lead Pipa: Yang Jing, arranged by Qin Peng Zhang & Luo Zhong Rong.
春江花月夜
工笔重彩画《春江花月夜》 吴玉阳作, Painting by Wu Yuyang
