Heavenly music

On Feb 17, the China NCPA Orchestra performed under the baton of conductor Lyu Jia, to a full house at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Sitting in the audience was 87-year-old Han Meilin, a well-known Chinese artist.

He was there because a music piece, titled Yuan Du, or From the Vessel of Ancient Souls, was making its global premiere that night and the music piece was based on his calligraphy works inspired by ancient Chinese characters and graphic folk art symbols.

The music piece, composed by Yao Chen, captures the spirit of Han's calligraphy series of work, entitled Tian Shu, or "scripts from heaven".

During the past five decades, Han has been searching for ancient Chinese characters on different cultural relics, such as stone paintings, cliff paintings, bronze vessels and pottery. He has collected over 10,000 ancient Chinese characters and combined his calligraphy with the artistic elements of those ancient characters in a diversity of artworks, such as painting, calligraphy, ceramics, dyeing, and wood carving.

"I've followed Han's Tian Shu series for years, and the combination of the mystery of ancient characters and Han's unique aesthetics intrigued me. When the NCPA Orchestra commissioned me to compose a new music piece, I wanted to try to interpret his works series with music," says Yao. "I didn't know if I could, until I talked to Han and learned stories behind his works."

The composer visited Han several times and examined manuscripts and more of Han's works at the artist's home and studio. It took Yao seven months to finish the new piece.

"In the beginning, the music sounds very simple, just like the lines of the calligraphy. Then the music develops and grows on its own, like the movements of Han's strokes," says Yao, adding that the music piece also shows his respect for Han.

Born in Jinan, Shandong province, Han recalls that he was intrigued by ancient Chinese characters when he was a child. In his eyes, all those mysterious characters are beautiful with shapes full of imagination.

"Ancient Chinese characters are an important part of Chinese culture and history. With thousands of years of development, Chinese characters have gone through changes and reforms. I love ancient Chinese characters, which represent objects or ideas through simple drawings. Some characters remain mysterious to us because even experts cannot interpret their meanings," says Han.

When Han started writing, the series didn't even have a name. Tian Shu was suggested by historian Ji Xianlin (1911-2009). Now, Han is working on the fifth and sixth Tian Shu books.

The artist is perhaps best known for creating Fuwa, the mascot of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and the 12 animal zodiac stamps, which won him praises at home and overseas. From Feb 17 to 23, Han's artworks, including sculptures and works from his Tian Shu series, were on display at the NCPA.

"I am grateful that the series now has a new life through music. Music and ancient Chinese characters share a lot in common — both are abstract and the lines or rhythms flow smoothly. If my works are called scripts from heaven, I would like to call the music piece 'sound from heaven'," Han said after the concert on Feb 17, while sharing the stage with musicians of the NCPA Orchestra, conductor Lyu and composer Yao.

On Feb 18, the music piece was played again by the NCPA Orchestra and Lyu. Other music pieces were also included during the concerts on Feb 17 and 18, such as Reflet d'un temps disparu by composer Chen Qigang and featuring cellist Li-Wei Qin, and Symphony No 2 in D Major, Op 73 by Johannes Brahms.

After its premiere, Yuan Du will be performed during the NCPA Orchestra's 2023 five-city tour in China, which will visit Nanjing, Guangzhou and Changsha, among other Chinese cities starting from the end of March.