Hear & Now Beijing
New Music in China
Saturday 14 June 2008 23:00-1:00 (Radio 3)
In the first of two reports from China, Robert Worby visits Beijing to investigate the thriving new music scenes, both official and unofficial. The programme includes electronic music by Zhang Xiaofu, who runs the city's electronic music festival, and a concert specially devised by the Beijing New Music Ensemble, playing music by three generations of Chinese composers. They range from Gao Weijie, of 'the lost generation' that had to go underground during Mao's time, to Zhang Shouwang, a twentysomething composer whose piece Xizhimen Traffic Lights was inspired by the incessant rhythms of downtown Beijing traffic.
Robert also investigates Beijing's underground scene, meeting singer and drummer Shenggy and visiting a tiny club called 2 Kolegas to meet Yan Jun, poet, sound artist and organiser of a weekly experimental music night. He performs a piece specially for the programme, using feedback generators.
Part of Radio 3's Focus on China season.
Hear & Now in Beijing Picture Gallery
View Robert and Philip's pictures of Hear & Now in Beijing
Beijing picture gallery
Robert Worby's China Diary
Read Presenter Robert Worby's experiences in Beijing.
Part One - BeijingPlaylist
Presenter: Robert Worby
Producer: Philip Tagney
Guo Wenjing: Elegy (10:28)
Beijing New Music Ensemble
Wang Jiani (soprano)
The East Is Red (0:56)
Zhang Xiaofu: Le Chant Interieur (13:18)
Wang Ciheng (bamboo flute)
From CD: 'Nuo Ri Lang: Selected Electroacoustic Music works of Zhang Xiaofu'
ISRC CN-M35-06-0002-0/A.J6
SugarJar CD shop:
The main record labels for experimental music in Beijing, mentioned by the staff are:
Kwanyin Records, and Subjam both run by Yan Jun:
The music heard in the shop was:
Wang Fan: Five Elements
Release Date: 2006
Label: Kwanyin Records
Cat. No.: kwanyin 004
To contact Suger Jar CD Shop [email protected]
To find out about Buddha Machines click here.
Gao Weijie: Thoughts of Rain (7:54)
Beijing New Music Ensemble
Wang Jiani (soprano)
Eli Marshall (conductor)
Yan Jun: Feedback Poetry (3:53)
(live demo, not available commercially)
Yan Jun: 15 Minutes in Life (extract) (5:08)
Available from Little Sound Records
Guo Wenjing: Sound of Tibet; Septet for winds (8:17)
Beijing New Music Ensemble
Eli Marshall (conductor)
Shenggy: First Woman on the Moon (8:24)
Shenggy is playing at the V&A on the 27th of June as part of China Design Now
White: Falling Down (3:57)
From new album (not yet released)
Jeffrey Zhang: Xizhimen Traffic Lights (6:03)
Beijing New Music Ensemble
Eli Marshall (conductor)
White: Bai (extract) (2:26)
From new album (not yet released)
(The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites)
e-mail us at [email protected]
