Music center of China
By Su Wei
Photos by Chen Lixin & Zheng Xiaodong

8月12日,国际钢琴大师邓泰松在鼓浪屿音乐厅举行独奏音乐会,为鼓浪屿钢琴节画上了圆满的句号.这位出生于越南的钢琴大师被誉为"键盘上的诗人".此次来厦,他对鼓浪屿钢琴节和厦门爱乐乐团赞不绝口.他认为鼓浪屿钢琴节应该坚持办下去,并且要让鼓浪屿成为中国的音乐中心.

Dang Thai Son, a world-class pianist from Canada, was the only musician invited to give a solo concert in this year's Gulangyu Piano Festival on August 12th. On August 11th, Common Talk had an interview with the great musician.

About myself: "everything oriental"
Presumably, the first meeting with Dang Thai Son would fill me with respect, awe and even tenseness. All these come from his outstanding achievements and dazzling titles: the first Asian to win the top prize in the International Chopin Piano Competition in 1980 in Poland, and the only non-Polish pianist invited to the opening ceremony of the "Chopin Year" concert in 1999-2000 season.

Yet while I talked to him, I could hardly associate the world-renowned pianist with the easy-going, considerate gentleman sitting right before me. From time to time he smiled at me with an air of encouragement, nodded at my questions and explained his ideas patiently. He even wrote down some terms on my notebook in case I might miss them. To further ease my visible awe, he said: "I love Chinese people, and I am everything oriental."

In so many ways he is. Dang was born in 1958 in Vietnam. His father gave him the name "Thai Son" in the hope that his future achievement could be as great as Tai Shan (Mount Tai), the head of all the mountains in China. Later he went to Moscow and studied in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. In 1980 he took part in the tenth International Chopin Piano Competition in Poland. His unique understanding of Chopin's music, combined with his complete mastery of playing piano, earned him the top prize and the title "Poet on the piano". However, his favorite musical pieces are those composed by Debussy, a world-class impressionist. "Debussy's music bears a strong influence from oriental culture. It is so elegant, sensitive and colorful that the audience, even those with no concept of music, can easily imagine a picture in their mind."

About the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra: "surprise"
However, a successful concert requires more than a good pianist. In the closing ceremony of the Gulangyu Piano Festival, Dang will co-present a concert with the local orchestra-the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. Given the fact that this is the first time for Dang to cooperatively play with an orchestra in the Mainland of China, a good collaboration between the pianist and the orchestra is so crucial to success. Prior to our interview, Dang had a rehearsal with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. When asked his impression of the orchestra, Dang used one word to conclude: "surprise".

"I am so surprised to find that the members are so young, and they play very precisely. Besides, they have made very good preparations for the concert." Later he added: "I'm very pleased to work with such a wonderful team."

About Xiamen: "I feel close"
The orchestra is surely not the only thing that pleased him in Xiamen. Since his last visit in 2002, he found that great changes had taken place here: more new buildings, new music halls and more modern facilities, all of which mirror in a way China's economic success. "I also found people here are warm and sincere. The organizers are very responsible, taking into account even small things. I feel very comfortable here."

Or maybe he could name something not so comfortable. Indeed he has caught a "disease" from his visit to Xiamen-"homesickness"."The climate in Xiamen is very similar to that of Vietnam, my home country. Also alike is the atmosphere and people. That's why I feel so close."

"Then how about spending the rest of your life here?" I ask."I don't know", he smiles, and his sense of humor comes to play, "It depends on whether the audience likes my show tomorrow."
About the festival: "It should continue"

A festival may seem to some audience members as a mere come-and-go party, with a series of musical performances held for commercial purposes.

But Dang sees it otherwise.

"I have experienced many festivals, some only lasted for several days and then were never held again. So I suggest that the Gulangyu Piano Festival should continue and become bigger and better in the future." His words will not go unnoticed. Indeed the committee has been seeking every means to make the festival a convention. More importantly, by holding such an activity, the committee has ignited public enthusiasm and introduced more citizens to the music world.

This trend can be further illustrated by Michel, also a famous pianist and one of Dang's close friends, who participated in the first Gulangyu Piano Festival two years before.

"I found this year's festival is much bigger. They even organized a concert tour across China. I can see that Gulangyu has a huge amount of ambition."

What, if anything, is the "huge amount of ambition"? As Dang pointed out at the end of our interview: "Gulangyu can be a music center, not only the center of Xiamen, but also a center of China."

Relevant link: The International Chopin Piano Competition
The International Chopin Piano Competition is widely accepted as the most prominent and also the toughest piano competition. Held once every five years in Warsaw, Poland, the competition awards a single top prize to one sole contestant, but only after repeated appraisal by the most critical judges. In 1990 and 1995, the judges would rather have left the top prize vacant simply because they thought none of the contestants were eligible for this noble award.

 

 

Themes of the Olympics
By 高翔

奥运会开始好几天了,你看了吗?我喜欢看赛场上的胜利,但似乎更喜欢看赛场上的失败,有一种无形的荣耀之美.奥运精彩内容里除了众多的胜利,绝对包含着更多精彩的失败.正因如此,才会有"Faster Higher Stronger"的奥运口号.

而每年奥运会的会歌也通过不同的旋律,节奏和歌词颂扬着不朽的奥运精神.

2004年雅典奥运会的主题歌是"Pass the Flame",歌曲中我最喜欢的歌词是-"We can grow a forest/ On a dried up river bed/ We can build a mountain/ From a grain of sand",失败与胜利的关系不正是如此吗?"干涸的河床与茂密的森林,一粒沙子与一座高山"之间的联系是"Reach out, hold out your hands",伸出双手,奋斗追求.

2000年悉尼奥运会主题歌"Flame",歌颂了流传千年的奥运圣火,也勾画了每个人心中自强不息的火焰 "The fire within makes you reach out to the goal/ You redefine the best, by stretching the soul".这首歌曲是由澳大利亚著名女歌手Tina Arena演唱.

1996年的亚特兰大奥运会的主题歌"Reach",是由著名的古巴歌手Gloria Estefan演唱的, "If I could reach higher, just for one moment to touch the sky ",数次荣获格来美奖的流行天后在登上亚特兰大奥运会开幕式舞台前不久,刚刚经历这首歌中所描述的奋斗历程,一次车祸使她瘫痪了,医生说她康复后可能再也不能走路了,可是她凭着坚强的意志,终于让自己站了起来,继续用歌声鼓舞着人们.

下期的文章中将继续和大家回顾92年,88年,84年奥运会的主题歌.欢迎随时登陆www.fm909.com.cn,进入Sunshine FM的BBS.

 

 

Lots happening at the Coffee Club



This week the Coffee Club's bakery opens behind the Marco Polo with a range of western breads and pastries including bagels, croissants, foccacias, and baguettes. The loaves of bread come in an assortment of flavors including rye, whole wheat, cottage, walnut, yogurt and more. The bakery will also cater to special orders with a one-day prior notice.

The Coffee Club is turning one year old in Xiamen and to help the celebrations begin we are having a happy hour at our new shop, on the second floor at the International Plaza. Until the end of the month we will be offering one free coffee with the purchase of any other coffee (buy 1 get 1 free). Come along and see why more and more people are enjoying the Coffee Club's rich flavored Italian coffee made by people who know how real coffee should be enjoyed.