Music Talks

Celebrate the final days of 2020 with a mashup of music and best wishes from the maestros of the classical genre! Hear from the ‘King of Chinese instruments,’ experience throat singing from the Mongolian Plains, and get into the ‘chillax’ mode with the konghou or Chinese harp.

Music Talks hosts Tony & Niu Niu meet up with China's finest as they give sensational performances and share songs to usher in the new year.

Hey there! Join us on a New Year digital concert and meet China’s most elite instrumentalists.

Watch us live on December 31st, 10 am Beijing Time. You'll find us on China Plus's official Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Weibo accounts. You can also find a special podcast version on all major podcast platforms. Just search “Music Talks”. Let's celebrate the New Year with Chinese music together!

Boyong is a kind of traditional folk song in the Bomi Couty in southern Tibet. Inherited by word of mouth, it developed into a unique art form. Today, we have Yangzong, the inheritor of Boyong from Bomi County to talk about this music in Tibet.

Song lists:

1. The Galsang Flower 格桑花

2. A Small Village 小村庄

3. The Leaf of Walnut Tree 核桃树叶

4. Dress Up 我要盛装

5. A Handsome Boy 阿若罗琼次仁

6. Auspicious Pagoda 吉祥宝塔

Research shows that music is very powerful and it has the ability to affect people in a number of ways, namely, their mood.

Have you ever heard of listening to music to improve your health and wellness?

In this episode, the founder of health and wellness music Liu Ziwei explains how her erhu music has the capacity to improve listener’s wellness based on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Theatric dance is a comprehensive art form, consisting of choreography, music, stage design and costumes.

Music in this field is supposed to give rhythmic support or enhance the movements of the dancers and highlight the identities or features of the characters.

In this episode, we will introduce some renowned theatric dance music, written by famous composer and instrumentalist He Yuan.

Our host Tony Reid sat down with He Yuan and got some insight into his work and stories behind his music.

Song lists:

1. Peach Blossom, 桃夭

2. The Happy Lives of Grandmas, 阿婆的幸福生活

3. The Entrapment of Voices, 四面楚歌

4. Farewell, 别离

5. The Flying Fairy, 妙音天女

From Shakespeare, Jane Austen to George Orwell, a range of literary greats have inspired songwriters in the West.

China also has many classic poems that have given rise to musical genius.

“Love Lasts Forever” by Faye Wong is perhaps one of the most recognized songs in China, which was adapted from poet Su Shi’s masterpiece titled “When the Bright Moon Appears in Sky”.

Today our guest on the show is Cen Jiawei, a guzheng instrumentalist of a famed zither orchestra in the nation, the Yuan Sha’s Zheng Orchestra.

She brings us several selective guzheng pieces that were inspired by classic poems.

Song lists:

1. A Calm within the Cyclone, 定风波, performed by Cen Jiawei

2. Lotus Flowers on the Water, 涉江采芙蓉, performed by Cen Jiawei

3. A Slumber under the Bridge, 枫桥夜泊, performed by Yuan Sha

Previously, we've introduced a bowed-string instrument, called the banhu, which is often acclaimed as the Chinese violin due to its sound.

In this episode, we will bring you another member of the bowed-string family, the erhu, which is good at depicting intricate emotional expressions, such as sorrow and helplessness, and several notable animal portrayals.

Today, our guest on the show is Duan Chao, an erhu instrumentalist from the leading Chinese ensemble in the nation, the China National Traditional Orchestra.

She brings us three representative pieces of the genre for our enjoyment.

Song lists:

1. Strings Echoing on the Frontier, 塞上弦鸣, composed by Li Binyang, conducted by Liu Sha

2. The Waves and the Sand, 大浪淘沙, composed by Abing and rearranged by Song Fei

3. Chanting of Xiange, 弦歌吟, composed by Li Bochan

Previously, we've introduced an unorthodox zither, called the duosheng zheng, which consists of two zithers of different sizes that are joined.

The new model is a result of instrumental reform that its musical expression has been considerably enhanced, and allows musicians to integrate more bodily movements according to the mood of the music, which adds to the experience.

Today, we continue with Miao Qing, a guzheng instrumentalist from the top orchestra in the nation, the China National Traditional Orchestra.

She handpicked a duosheng zheng duet, which is controversial, abstract and renowned in the guzheng circle. In addition, a traditional guzheng concerto will also be introduced.

Song list:

1. Wind from Eight Directions, performed by Miao Qing and Zhang Jiakang, composed by Li Meng

2. Wonderland, performed by Miao Qing, composed by Li Bo

China’s National Day falls on October 1st each year, to commemorate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

This year marks the 71th anniversary of the founding of the nation and also another important holiday, the Mooncake Festival, also occurs on the same day.

Whether you are at home enjoying quality time with your beloved ones or on your way to a resort destination, the music we present today is surely not to be missed.

Today, we handpicked several remarkable pieces from Zhao Cong, a premier pipa instrumentalist from the leading orchestra of the nation, the China National Traditional Orchestra.

Her music blends the essence of Chinese classics and world music, in her ongoing effort to cross-cultural barriers.

Let’s see where you go in these melodies.

Song lists:

1. Rose Tango

2. The Flying Fairy

3. A Wonderful Time

4. The Hero’s Departure

In ancient times, Chinese instruments were usually divided into eight groups, depending on what they were made from, including stone, wood, silk, metal, bronze, soil, leather and gourd.

In this episode, we will get some insight into a representative instrument of the gourd type, the sheng, one of the oldest free-reed instruments in the world.

After the instrument was spread globally through the Ancient Silk Road, many say it is the predecessor of some reed-instruments in Europe, such as the pipe organ and harmonica.

Its tonality is known to be quite appealing and used to resemble the chirp of a mythical bird in China, the phoenix.

Today, our guest on the show is Mr Wu Xuewei, the premier sheng instrumentalist from the leading orchestra in the nation, the CNTO.

Mr Wu brings us his four famed works which were performed at his solo recital.