Concert by Lin Youren and Lin Chen 5th May, 2007

Introduction

From April 20th to May 14th, well-known and respected qin master Lin Youren and his daughter Lin Chen, also an excellent qin player and music researcher, came to Europe. Their tour included performances in Belgium (Brussells and Gent), England (London), France (Paris), Germany (Cologne), Holland (Amsterdam) and Switzerland (Geneva). Their London concert was held at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and drew a larger than expected audience. All seats were filled, and latecomers had to sit on the floor, such was the popularity of this recital. Rachel Harris of the Music Department organised and hosted the event. The Lins' visit to London was funded by the London Youlan Qin Society and the London Confucius Institute.

Programme

  1. Meihua San Nong 梅花三弄 (Three Variations on the Plum Blosom), played by Lin Youren.
    Originally a flute piece from the Jin Dynasty, this piece describes the noble and unsullied nature of plum blossom while conveying its characteristic resistance to cold temperatures and icy winds.
  2. Pu'an Zhou 普庵咒 (Mantra of Pu'an), played by Lin Youren.
    This piece first appeared as a song with qin accompaniment (qin’ge) in 1592, under the title “Buddhist Chant” (Shi Tan Zhang). The words were a Chinese transliteration of a Sanskrit text. The music is serene and meditative, based on a simple pentatonic theme and maintaining a fairly steady tempo throughout.
  3. You Lan 幽兰 (The Solitary Orchid), played by Lin Chen.
    The recreation of this piece of Tang dynasty tablature has become a popular pastime with qin players since the 1950s. It is closely associated with Confucius, whose ideas of ethics and virtue as an ideal of government were rejected. One day he saw an orchid growing alone among ordinary plants. He likened it to a wise man whose ideas are not in tune with the time, and who consequently associates with the common people.
  4. Ping Sha Luo Yan 平沙落雁 (Wild Geese Descending on the Level Sand), played by Lin Chen.
    One of the most popular qin pieces, this has been collected in over 70 qin music manuscripts in different versions. It depicts wild geese resting on a sandy beach in the cool of late autumn during their southward migration. According to legend, geese were messengers used to carry letters, and are symbolic of feelings of loneliness and separation. The music conveys a sense of nostalgia, and of the closeness between human beings, wildlife and nature.
  5. Liu Shui 流水 (Flowing Waters), played by Lin Youren.
    One of the most virtuosic pieces in the qin repertoire. The impression of water is conveyed through swirling arpeggios, rippling harmonics and glissandos, yet in Lin’s hands technique remains subordinate to imagery.
On the Sunday after the concert, the Lins joined members of the London Youlan Qin Society for a guqin yaji.

The London Youlan Qin Society would like to thank Rachel Harris of SOAS for her work in organising and hosting the event, the London Confucius Institute for co-sponsoring it, and all those members of the London Youlan Qin Society who generously contributed donations.




    Lin Youren playing Liu Shui
    		 Calligraphy by Lin Youren, written on the whiteboard for the concert
    		 Lin Chen playing You Lan


    Copyright the London Youlan Qin Society, 2007. All rights reserved.