Title: Farewell my concubine : Jinghu and Chinese orchestra

Composer:Tong Leung-tak

Year: [19--]

Genre:

• Concerto
• Original composition
• Concerto (Jinghu)

Call No.: SC234

Description: Bawang bieji, commonly translated as Farewell My Concubine, is a classic tale about the concluding events of the Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BC, the interregnum between the Qin and Han dynasties), in which Xiang Yu, the self-entitled hegemon-king of Western Chu, spent his final moments with his wife Consort Yu while being cornered by Liu Bang (later the founder of the Han Dynasty) and his army. For over a thousand years, this tale has been retold in many forms and versions, among which the Peking opera version created for actor-singers Yang Xiaolou (1878–1938) and Mei Lanfang (1894–1961) by playwright Qi Rushan (1877–1962) has arguably been the most well-known version since its premiere in 1922. Tong Leung-tak seemed to be inspired by Qi's version while composing a concerto-style piece of the same title for jinghu (the leading instrument in Peking opera) and the modern Chinese orchestra sometime during the 1980s. He was assisted by Chan Kam-biu (then an erhu student under Tong), who appeared to have taken care of the orchestration of the piece while Tong was composing the solo part. Anyhow, the piece draws heavily on the musical language of Peking opera. That said, it calls for a full orchestra and features numerous countermelodies in different instrumental parts. It also demonstrates frequent changes in texture. It begins with a recitative-like introduction with short bursts of dramatic energy, followed by a slower, melancholic section before the music gains momentum through modal mixture and tonicization, reaching the dramatic climax only for an abrupt return to the recitative style before ending with a calm cadential phrase.

Note:

• Certain instrument(s) arranged by Kam-biu Chan

Instrumentation: jinghu (solo) (1), bang di (1), qu di (1), gaoyin sheng (1), zhongyin sheng (1), diyin sheng (1), guan (1), yangqin (1), liuqin (1), pipa (1), zhong ruan (1), da ruan/da sanxian (1), bass drum/cymbals/triangle (1), da luo/small cymbals (1), xiao luo/bangzi (1), gaohu (1), erhu (2), zhonghu (1), gehu (1), double bass (1)