Wu Man
Wu man, a Chinese folk music player, made great contributions to the introduction of Pipa to the West. Wu man is the direct descendant of Pudong school. Pudong school is one of the most respected traditional pipa playing schools in the imperial dynasty. As the first Chinese folk music player to sign up for ICM, the world's largest classical music artist agency, Wu man's Pipa art has been recognized by foreigners.
On December 3, 2017, he won the honorary title of the 10th National Spirit builder of modern communication group.
brief introduction
In 1994, Wu man introduced Tan Dun, a colleague of the Central Conservatory of music, to Cronus and wrote the work ghost drama for Wu Man and Cronus. "Cronus", who is interested in Pipa, happily took over his works and immediately toured the world, including Beijing, China in 1996. With the success of this work, Wu man was invited to create in more art fields, not only in the fields of dance, contemporary dance, script writing and visual art. His sincere cooperation with Cronus brought Wu man more gains and opportunities. During his performance in Germany, Terry Riley also performed impromptu piano. They had a meal in a Sichuan restaurant and got to know each other. In 2005, Riley created Pipa String Quintet for Wu Man and Cronos. When they went to Vienna to perform, they met composer Philip Glass, the minimalist music master, who immediately fell in love with the special sound of pipa. He has successively created the Chamber Opera song of sound, Pipa Quintet five elements and Pipa Concerto Orion for Wu man. In 2004, Wu man made a world public performance of the song on behalf of Chinese artists during the Athens Olympic Games. Wu man's rapid popularity has not only aroused wide attention in the music industry, but also attracted the attention of director Ang Lee. He asked Wu man to play part of the soundtrack in the film wedding banquet and eating men and women. In addition, she also gives regular lectures on Pipa performance at various universities in Boston, which makes her get to know Yo Yo Ma, an equally active cellist. In 1999, during the meeting between former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and former US President Clinton, Wu Man and Ma Youyou were invited by Clinton to perform in the White House. In the same year, Yo Yo Ma selected her to win the green Gould Rookie Award in Canada. She was the first woman to win the award and was a non Western instrumentalist. She also formed the "Silk Road" music program with Yo Yo Ma. In 2006, Chen Yi's composition and Wu man's performance "dance of ancient times" attracted the attention of American media. The art section of the New York Times reported Wu man's music achievements in full page. "Even in the relatively backward state of Arkansas, we're invited to perform." Wu man said, "this is a stage work composed of multi-media, ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy and instrumental music. Among them are the quintessence of Chinese classical culture, including Tang poetry, calligraphy and porcelain, which is very attractive to Americans who are in the "China fever." Since she became famous in the United States, Wu man has won many honors and several "firsts", but what she valued most was that she won the Research Scholar Award from Harvard women's College in 1998. During this year's research, Wu man's vision was not limited to music itself. She was more exposed to science, anthropology, sociology, philosophy and other fields. "What I'm doing now is trying to give Pipa a a new definition, or people's new impression of it. I don't want to be just a musician, that's why I play roles in many fields. I know it's hard work, but I enjoy it very much. That's what a musician should do. I'm willing to be such a person Wu man said. in fact, in recent years, more and more Chinese national instrumental musicians have gone abroad and started to cooperate with artists in different music fields. During the 2006 Shanghai Jazz Festival, Pierre Favre's Jazz Quintet cooperated with Chinese Pipa player Yang Jing. Erhu player Ma Xiaohui also had a "dialogue between Chinese and Western Music" with American pianists. The music exchange and integration between different continents has become a major trend in the world music field. However, some people question her achievements, saying that no matter what, Pipa will not be the dominant player in the music world, but just a supporting role. In this regard, Wu man believes that "contemporary music does not only belong to the west, it belongs to the whole world, all mankind."
Wu man's works
Dance! Dancing! 3. Ancient legend ancientshadows 4. Her story journey 5. Hometown Blues 6. Vincent's tune 7. Crescent moon over the mountain 8. Crying ambushed again 9. Quartet fullcircle 10. From afar 11. Singing
Honors
On December 3, 2017, he won the honorary title of the 10th National Spirit builder of modern communication group.
Chinese PinYin : Wu Man
Wu Man