Forging closer cultural relations
RecitalBao HuiqiaoVerdala Palace The purpose of this recital was twofold: the inauguration of the decorated timber ceilings for a number of rooms and the main hall on the first floor, and to inaugurate a Kayserburg grand piano donated by the Chinese...
Recital
Bao Huiqiao
Verdala Palace
The purpose of this recital was twofold: the inauguration of the decorated timber ceilings for a number of rooms and the main hall on the first floor, and to inaugurate a Kayserburg grand piano donated by the Chinese People’s Republic.
Before the recital by Bao Huiqiao, the Chinese Ambassador to Malta, Zhang Ke Yuan said a few words of welcome and explained how this donation on behalf of his country helped to bring closer together our two countries by means of music.
The concert was to be a meeting of two different musical cultures together.
In his reply, President Abela concurred with this fully, saying that a meeting of diverse cultures such as this evening’s helps bring nations closer together.
He delved into how the idea of a piano from China came about, quipping that it all started when he expressed a thought that such a piano would fit perfectly well in the Castle’s main hall, most of the floor of which is covered by a previous donation from China of a beautiful Chinese carpet.
Professor Bao Huqiao is a pianist with an international reputation both as prize winner of important prizes awarded to her in her native country and abroad.
Apart from her outstanding career as a performer she is also deeply involved as member of international adjudicating panels in prestigious piano competitions.
As she said to me after the recital, she was leaving for Spain the following day, where she was to form part of an adjudicating panel in a competition held in Valladolid.
Her choice of works for her recital featured music from China as well as music from Europe. She started with arrangements of two movements from what must be the best-known Chinese composition outside her country, especially the West.
These movements were Ode to the Yellow River and The River in Anger from the Yellow River Concerto (1969), a joint composition by Y. Chengzong, C. Wanghua, S. Lihong and L. Zhuang.
This exotic music continued with more music from Chu Wanghua beginning with his Three Chinese Folksongs: The Woodcutter Liu Hiu, Love Song and Time of Guessing, performed without interruption.
More of Wanghua music came with The Jasmine and the rambling and powerful Xinjiang Capriccio.
The pianist professes a predilection for Chopin and she switched to a different idiom very smoothly performing his Nocturne in C# minor, with a complete change of atmosphere in his Waltz in C# minor, Opus 64, No.2.
She finished with two very popular Spanish pieces: the Andaluza by Granados and aptly fiery Ritual Fire Dance from the ballet El Amor Brujo.