One Song Orchestra: Taiwanese Classics

Описание: Classical music is often seen as a technical and obscure art form in Taiwan. But one composer, Lee Che-Yi wants to challenge these stereotypes. He dares to rearrange Taiwanese folk songs and popular music in classical form, breaking down the boundaries between folk and classical. But Lee doesn''t just want to bring classical music to ordinary Taiwanese. He wants to take this music to the world stage. Our Sunday special report.The audience is very familiar with the melodies of these Taiwanese folk songs and popular Chinese hits. Even when deftly woven into the Western classical form, the tunes still resonate.Having grown up in a musical family, Lee Che-Yi is now a major advocate of the combination of Taiwanese and classical styles. He studied music in college, focusing mainly on the harp. In February this year, he founded the ‘One Song Orchestra’, a string ensemble that exclusively plays Taiwanese pieces, to bring classical music closer to the general public.Lee Che-YiOne Song Orchestra FounderTunes we all know are performed in a classical style. We’re trying to find a balance, a way to make people think,“The Taiwanese melodies I know have been turned into classical music, and I can still distinguish them.”But you can’t destroy the original feeling people have about the tunes.Voice of Lee Che-YiOne Song Orchestra FounderOne Song Orchestra uses the classical form to reinterpret Taiwanese music. I think we’re looking for ways to let it shine more brightly.Lee Che-Yi’s classical reinventions of Taiwanese songs don’t just aim to upend people’s assumptions about classical music being inaccessible. He has even greater ambitions. The staff we use in classical music can be understood all around the world by anyone who has learned to play classical. So a classical musician anywhere in the world who picks up these sheets can immediately play a Taiwanese song. In this way, Taiwanese music can find a place on the world stage.The average age of the orchestra’s violin section is only 30 years old. All of them have orthodox classical music backgrounds, but they’re not afraid to be labeled as heretics in joining Lee Che-yi’s mission to reinvent popular Taiwanese songs.Liang Chien-wenFirst Violin, One Song OrchestraA lot of us have actually spent quite a few years studying abroad. We all know the feeling a traveler gets when they see their homeland again. When we play classical music, we’re performing someone else’s culture. But now, when we use the skills and the artistry we gained through our classical studies to play our own music, I think we’re able to express greater feeling.It’s about heritage! He uses his talent and skill to rewrite these tunes and reinterpret them through classical means. It means the last 100 years of beautiful Taiwanese culture can continue to be passed down. We all really want to take part in that.In the initial rehearsals since the orchestra was established, Lee has not pocketed any wages, and he spends his spare timeworking on the project and on sales of the orchestra’s CD.Founding the orchestra has already personally cost Lee more than NT$1 million. Operating costs and concert expenses rack up quickly, and the original investment was quickly spent. Some of his elders in the musical world have warned him to be careful. They don’t want him to lose his family’s inheritance while fulfilling his dream of Taiwan’s heritage.Lee Che-YiOne Song Orchestra FounderMy position is this. Nobody has ever done something like this before. So the value of others’ experience is all hypothetical. If I’ve never done this myself before, then nobody has the right to tell me whether I’ll succeed or fail.In 2012 Lee won Best Composer at the Golden Melody Awards. To date, his oeuvre includes 1,500 compositions and 4,500 arrangements. Enriching the potential of Taiwanese folk music through his classical skill, and revealing its inherent value on the world stage, is the only thing that concerns him.When the parents of One Song Orchestra’s players attend their concerts, you can see they are touched by Lee’s works. The sacrifices they made to support their children’s studies now enable them to draw closer to classical music than they ever did before.