Tag: Xuefei Yang

Interview with Classical Guitarist Xuefei Yang – Part 2 of 3

Nicole Neal4 Comments

Welcome back folks! Here’s part two of my fantastic interview with Chinese super-guitarist Xuefei Yang! If you missed part one, here’s the link: Interview with Classical Guitarist Xuefei Yang – Part 1 of 3.

In part two of the interview Fei tells us about how she goes about preparing to premiere a brand new piece of music, the music she will be playing in up coming Australian tour, her favourite music to play and her thoughts and approaches on playing contemporary music.

Xuefei Yang Photo credit: Neil Muir
Xuefei Yang Photo credit: Neil Muir

How do you go about preparing a brand new piece? Do you go about things differently than with a classic of the repertoire?

I think that it’s like a two-edged sword. The disadvantage is that you’ve never heard anything of it, you don’t know the background. The advantage is that you have some freedom I find and also – even better – is if you have a chance to meet the composer. The you can ask him directly what does he want, and what he means. I think that can be a great advantage. If you play Bach you can’t really ask him! Or even Albeniz, you know, you can’t go back to ask him.

So, yes, it’s an advantage and a disadvantage. I think that if I can have a chance to meet a composer like Tan Dun. I’m going to premiere some other pieces in October so I’m going to ask them as much as possible. Even to talk to them, sometimes they don’t play the guitar which can be a good thing, they just think about the music. That can actually be a great advantage. Of course it can be a disadvantage too – the piece can be awkward for the instrument. There’s always two sides, but I always try to ask the composer as much as possible.

If some composer has already passed and I don’t have a chance to ask then, I think the advantage is that you have more freedom. In playing contemporary music we have more freedom. In a way I think that contemporary music can be close to use because it’s a modern thing. Bach is like how many years hundreds of years ago right? But twentieth century music is quite close to us, and you can get inspired from the architecture, the modern art and the modern literature. Everything is all related actually. So in a way I think it’s easier to find information to help you understand. I think I try to those advantages.

Also, in a way, if I don’t recordings of a contemporary piece to listen to, it can be an advantage too. Because with a classic piece you’ve heard too many versions, you know? You will more or less be affected. You probably don’t know, or you probably don’t want to admit, but you actually are influenced by a certain version. So if I play a new piece, and I’ve never heard anybody play it, then it’s me! You go on YouTube and you can find hundreds of things. It’s an advantage too.

You’re playing at the Sydney Opera House first of all in Australia, what are you going to be playing in your solo shows? 

I’m playing the (Bach) Chaconne, some John Williams pieces, some From A Bird. Yes, I like that piece very much. He said that when he was at his Australian home he heard a honeyeater bird singing outside his window – I think it’s an Australian bird isn’t it? We don’t have it here in England! In concert people don’t know what it looks like! – a John Williams piece, a Chinese piece – a traditional piece. I’m also premiering in Australia a modern Chinese piece that was written for me last year, commissioned by the Wigmore Hall in London. Her name is Chen Yi, she’s a female composer, a leading Chinese composer, based in the USA.

So Bach, some contemporary, some Schubert songs. I feel I have to play something from the Romantic era – that’s my home! Nowadays I enjoy pretty much everything all the same, but I would say that when I was younger, when I was a teenager I felt most at home playing the Romantic music, because think that I have a strong intuition. When I was a kid, a teenager, I more or less played music by feeling and without too much analysis, and this is to do with how I was taught to play music in China. Romantic music you can play by feeling, just be spontaneous. But if you play contemporary music, just by feelings, that’s not enough. You really, really need to know what you want to express, it’s the voicing, what is your voicing, your phrasing. The melody is not quite to obvious as Schubert, Schubert is just there, it’s so “singing”. But with contemporary you have to find the phrasing, the voicing and the structure.  but once you can find it you can convince yourself how to play this piece. And once you’ve convinced yourself you have a better chance – I only say better chance! – to convince the audience!

I find another part of the difficulty of playing a contemporary piece that even if you know the piece very well, the audience they’ve never heard of the piece. It takes them a few times to get to know it. For example,  like the Britten Nocturnal, Julian Bream and even other people said that for them the first couple of times they didn’t understand it. And for the audience it’s even harder as they don’t have the time to study it and find out what it’s all about. If the audience goes to listen to Beethoven or a more established piece of the repertoire, a classic piece of the repertoire, people know what they are they about. If you play a very new piece though nobody knows. It’s a difficulty, so you have to really convince yourself, be so clear yourself so then you are more able to convince the audience.

You’re playing a good mix – something for everybody…

Yes, I like it that way. You know it’s a bit hard on guitar to focus on one composer. On piano you can focus on Beethoven, or Mozart, Chopin, but on guitar it’s very hard to focus on one composer. And also Sydney is my first recital in Australia so I want to have a big variety of programme because the guitar is a very capable instrument, we really can play lots of different repertoire. I’m a player that feels comfortable playing lots of different repertoire too and also for the audience it’s nice to hear different, a balanced repertoire. I myself like to hear this.

The Sydney Opera House is a pretty cool place for your first Australian concert….

Yes I know! I thought about it a long time ago when I saw a picture of it I thought “hmm, I should visit Sydney. When would I have a chance to play there?”. And now! It finally comes! So really excited.

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Stay tuned for part three of the interview coming up next week – the biggest, bestest part! And don’t forget to check out Fei’s Australian tour dates (and get in now for your tickets!): http://www.xuefeiyang.com/calendar.html

 

Interview with Classical Guitarist Xuefei Yang – Part 1 of 3

Nicole Neal10 Comments

Last week I was extremely honoured to Skype with none other than guitarist extraordinaire Xuefei Yang!!

On the eve of her first  tour Down Under and world premiere of a new guitar concerto by Chinese composer Tan Dun we had a fantastic chat about what she’ll be playing and how she goes about preparing for such a tour. Fei also shared some words of wisdom for students of the classical guitarist. We had such a great chat that I’ve decided to split it across three posts. Here in part one today you can read about Fei’s thoughts on playing classic and brand new repertoire, keeping things fresh, and the classical guitar repertoire.

(c) Neil Muir
Xuefei Yang (c) Neil Muir

You’re coming over to Australia very soon and we’re super excited to have you here! You’re going to be playing some classic repertoire and some new with the Tan Dun concerto premiere. Tell us a bit about the preparations for playing both the well known and the brand new repertoire.

In fact I just met him (Tan Dun) last month in Beijing, after a concert. I always wanted to meet him and he’s a very nice guy, he’s someone who works so hard and he’s already very famous, but he’s working everyday. He has so many ideas about music,  and he’s so enthusiastic. I think he’s trying to bring music to be relevant to people’s life now and I think that’s great. And he’s trying to bring the audience, and young people, to listen to new music and all of that sounds great I think.

You know I am very happy that the orchestra asked me to play a new piece, because especially guitarists, they complain “why always Aranjuez?! why always Aranjuez?!“, but you know I have to say that mostly it’s not our choice, you now! Mostly it’s the orchestra that makes the choice because they have their season, they have their programming, they have a concerto they have to hire a soloist to fit in their theme, so usually I don’t get to choose. Unless you’re John Williams then maybe – may be he can choose!

It’s kind of a good way to do it though, have the Aranjuez which is the “crowd pleaser” or the “crowd drawerer”, but then also introduce the audience to something new.

Yes, yes exactly. I think it’s a good idea. All the classic pieces they will draw the audience, you know, may be they want to hear this piece, but at the same time they have to hear the new piece which is great I think. And Tan Dun he’s always putting some Chinese element in his music which is great, I think that’s what we should do more. As I grow older I try to bring our culture into what I play, so it’s a great opportunity for me.

How do you go about keeping things such as the Aranjuez fresh, which you must know so well?

To be honest to Aranjuez I know it very very well, especially after recording. After you’ve recorded something you really know that music! But in a way it’s still….I never get bored of it. My theory is that with great music you never get bored. For example, in my recital I’m going to play the Chaconne by Bach, that is a piece that I never get bored of playing it. And in fact you change your feeling and your understanding and your interpretation of that piece over the years. So my theory is that if the music is great, then you don’t get bored. And the listener doesn’t get bored.

The other thing is also because playing concerto is quite different to playing solo, to be honest my first times playing concerto I was like dealing with my nerves! I was really quite nervous to play in front of an orchestra. But in recent years with my experience I can find that I’m more and more into the music because I get more used to playing a concerto in front of an orchestra and with amplification. More and more I really feel now I can really get the music out. So yes, I  haven’t gotten bored of it.

In fact, the other thing about playing a concerto is that every time you play with a different orchestra, you work with a different conductor and the venues are different, the sound and the audiences are different. So with all this combination each time is a new experience – honestly! Especially with concerto because you have to collaborate with other people. With solo its just myself. So in terms of Aranjuez I never get bored. In fact I think I’m getting better and better!

With all that I’m quite happy with my recording, but I feel in a way, especially the second movement, I’m playing a but different. I think the recording is like a snapshot of that particular moment of your life. So I’m really looking forward to play with an Australian orchestra this piece. Now sometimes after I’ve played the second movement, I get goosebumps myself! Like “oooh I’m really in the zone!“. I also lots of times after the performance some audience members have come to say to me that they were really moved, and moved into tears. For me that’s the greatest reward, it’s the most rewarding thing to hear, yeah! So hoping I can touch some hearts in Australia!

It deserves to be played a lot, but at the same time I wish there were other guitar concertos that could be played more too! The thing of playing contemporary music is that  we don’t know which one will become the “classic” one because time is the ultimate test. Those that are lucky enough to live after another 100 years will know which one will become the classic piece! So I think we just need to keep trying new pieces. The players levels these days are getting higher and higher and that can encourage the composer so they know what we can do on the instrument so they can write more interesting pieces. It’s like a loop, so our playing affects their compositions and their compositions affects our playing, like a loop. It all gets better and better and that way we can get more interesting repertoire.

But to be honest I think the repertoire is very very important for the instrument. I feel the development of the instrument, of the repertoire, is so so important. Why is it that we hear so much piano and violin, the orchestra, everyday in the concert hall? It’s because of the repertoire. There are too many great pieces to play.

I think other musicians usually say the guitar has a smaller repertoire, which I don’t actually agree with. I think the guitar repertoire is big but we don’t have a big mainstream repertoire. We don’t have the German, Austrian, mainstream repertoire. That’s almost a zero. That’s the problem there. You go to Germany and you’re not likely to hear our music, it’s not their tradition. But can only start to work from now. Well from Segovia he did, he promoted lots of composer, lots of repertoire. And Julian Bream, John Williams, we can enjoy playing those players repertoire, so we need to keep doing the same. The next generation can then have more music.

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Be sure to head back this way on Thursday for part two where you can hear about what Fei is playing in her solo Australian and what else she’s working on at the moment.