Music Talks

The New Year's Day falls on January 1st on the Gregorian calendar. People around the globe have been celebrating the New Year since ancient times. To boost the excitement of the holiday, several prestigious Chinese instrumentalists join us today to share tuneful melodies with you. We'll also check out some fun New Year's traditions in different countries around the world.

Patua is an endangered dialect in Macao. A small portion of people, known as the Macanese, are able to speak it, which are the descendants of Portuguese and Chinese. Filomeno Jorge, aka Russo, is one of the few. He is the leader of a time-honored band called "Tuna Macanese". ​We'll bring you several songs by the band and get an insight into their way to promote the Macanese culture across the globe.

Macao is sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of the east, due to its glitz and glamor. Under the bright lights, the local people say their city is peaceful and unique for its multi-cultural blend of history, cuisine and language. Two-stringed fiddle performer Wu Shaoxiong selects several pieces from his album “Macao” to take you on a journey to reveal the true face of the city's culture though the local music scene.

Liu Peiyi has 10-year experience in learning the saxophone and Jazz composition in the US. His second album "Flow of Soul" reflects upon his experience of learning Jazz, understanding of Jazz and ways to promote the popularity of the genre. Recently, I met Liu in person. We talked about the album and stories behind the scene.

Deng Weibiao is a leading figure of Chinese New Age Music. Today, we continue with Deng's other distinctive works that reflect the marvelous musical expressions of Chinese instruments, bringing to mind the magnificent rivers, an endless desert known as the place of no return, flame-like flowers and havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Previously, we've introduced a leading figure of New Age Music——Deng Weibiao. Deng says music has no boundaries, and combining diverse musical styles together to make something new is essential in the development of music. Today, he brings us several of his works inspired by ancient tunes from ethnic communities in China and around the globe.

New Age music emphasizes tranquility, relaxation, and positive energy transference, which may be acoustic, electronic, or a mixture of both. Deng Weibiao is one of the four masters of the genre in the nation. Today, we bring you five representative pieces of Deng's New Age music.

​We get up-close with an innovative composer called Yan Minmin. Yan talks about how she contributes to rejuvenating the country's classical instruments and increasing their popularity around the world.

The Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter, which falls on November 7th this year. A Chinese saying goes “Eat dumplings on the Start of Winter or your ears will be frostbitten.” Find out more about the origins of this custom for this special day with melodic songs about winter.

​A Chinese saying goes that "an accomplished disciple owes his accomplishments to his great teacher". The famed yangqin master Shi Yue shares with us some intriguing and memorable stories from when she was learning the instrument with her mentors, all influential masters of this genre.