Archive for February 7th, 2010

China Travel – Yarlung Zangbo River(2)

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

The middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River are from Lizi, through the Lazi, Rikaze, Qushui and Zedang, to Mailing County, with a length of 1,340 kilometers. The main distributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo River are flowing into the trunk river in the middle reaches. This segment can provide advantageous conditions for the plateau shipment due to its abundant water quantity, broad river surface and deep water. The rubber boats and wood boats can boat from the western Lazi to the eastern Zedang. This navigation segment is about 400 kilometers in length and it is the highest river segment of navigation in the world. With plenty of sunlight, good irrigation conditions and sparse population, it is the richest and most important agricultural area known as the Grain Barn of Tibet. The main crops include the highland barley, potato and wheat.

The lower reaches are from Paixiang of Mailing County to the Baxika, with a length of 496 kilometers. The vertical drop height from the Namjagabrwa Peak to the water surface of the Yarlung Zangbo River is 7,100 meters, so it is reputed as the deepest Grand Canyon (i.e. the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo River) in the world. The river is narrow here, the reefs are everywhere on the riverbed, the river water is rapidly rushing and the waves are high. The spectacular downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River has been the paradise of explorers all through the ages.

(Source: chinaculture.org)

Beijing Olympic – Les Choristes En Concert – Concert by Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Conductor:Nicolas Porte
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts – Concert Hall
Dates: July 22 – 23, 2009    19:30
Price:  VIP    400    300    200    120    80 RMB

Programme Introduction

In 2003, the director for Les Choristes searched every inch of France in order to find a choir excellent enough to perform in the film, and he finally encountered in Lyon Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc. The film Les Choristes proved an unprecedented success when first released in 2004, attracting nearly 10 million audiences all around the globe, and selling over 2 million original soundtracks CD. The choir, as a result, won nominations and prizes in various international film festivals, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Globe nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, etc. Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc has since then become internationally renowned, performing on different stages both in and out of France. Welcomed by the audience and the commentators all around the world, it is now regarded as important as the Vienna Boys Choir.

Conductor: Nicolas Porte
Born in 1963, Nicolas Porte was discovered as a music genius at a very young age. He started his music career in the Parish Choir of Lyon, and became a famous singer later. Interested in directing children’s choir, he started teaching in the music department of Saint-Marc school and established the choir – Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc in 1986. It is his ardent yet disciplinary teaching that paved the way for the choir to today’s glory. Nicolas loves music as he cherishes his own life, and has in the past over 20 years passed on his love for music to the choir through his talented and diligent teaching.

Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc
Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc was establised by Nicolas Porte in 1986, with all its members selected from the same school and between the age of 10 to 15. The choir has enjoyed a time-honored reputation of 20 years in Lyon, France. It has been to many countries on performance tour, including Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Russia, Japan, Canada, USA and European countries. It has also participated in various music festivals, such as Fesival de Musique de Vieux Lyon, Printemps musical de Pérouges, and Festival d’Ambronay. The choir came to China on a tour in 2007, giving performance in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and in each place, it was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds of audience. The choir also performed in many TV shows on TF1,France 2, France 3, Canal +, and M6, and joined in programs on both national and international channels in France.

Programs
Vois sur ton chemin (from Les Choristes)
Composer: C.Barratier & B.Coulais

Ave Maria
Composer: G. Caccini

Amazing grace
Hymn

Magic Castle
Traditional Korean folk music

Le chemin de papier
Composer: Mouron
Arr.: Tigre

Open thou mine eyes
Composer: J. Rutter

The Lord blesses you and keeps you
Composer: J. Rutter

Une chanson douce
Composer: M.Pon & H.Salvador

Il manquait un ange
Composer: D.Defilippi & D.Faricier

In Memoriam (from Les Choristes)
Composer: B.Coulais

Noel Blanc
Arr.: D.Faricier

Herbstlied
Composer: F.Mendelssohn

Vies Monotones
Composer: G.Manset & D.Faricier

Le Trou Dans La Neige
Composer: B.Coulais

Le Monde Est a Toi
Composer: B.Charden & E.Authie
Arr.: D.Faricier

Passe le temps
Composer: M.Zadeh
Arr.: D.Faricier

Si tous les enfants
Composer: M.Zadeh
Arr.: D.Faricier

Medley of French Songs
Arr.: D. Faricier

Caresse sur 1′ocean (from Les Choristes)
Composer: B.Coulais

La Nuit (from Les Choristes)
Composer: J.P.Rameau
Arr.: J.Nylon

Cerf-volant (from Les Choristes)
Composer: B.Coulais

Traditional French songs

Chinese folk songs

(Source: ebeijing.gov.cn)

Chinese Culture – Mural Painting Art(2)

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Grotto and temple mural paintings of different dynasties ranging from the Wei Dynasty (220-265AD) to the Ming (1368-1644BC) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties, varied a lot in composition. In the Kezier Grotto of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, the mural paintings within feature a rhombic (parallelogram of equal side and slanting angles) composition of the Buddhism stories. The NO.21 grotto of the Kumutula Grottos has a radiant composition, with a round design pattern in the ceiling as its center and 13 trapezoid-shaped grids radiating from it. Within each grid there is a figure of Bodhisattva.

The “Deer King” (section) cave 257 of Dunhuang Grotto in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, features a horizontal composition. Mural paintings retelling the story of the deer king are arranged from left to right. The other type of Dunhuang mural paintings usually feature grand scene of various activities, with the Buddha at the center and Bodhisattva, music players, dancers, ponds and water lilies surrounding it.

The composition of the temple’s mural paintings also has unique characteristics. For example, the Mandala mural painting in one of Tibet’s Buddhist temple , with its combination of the round and square shapes, expresses the principle of the natural life and death cycle that humans can’t exceed, and has kind of unique artistic charm.

The mural painting in the Yongle Palace of the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) has the same type of composition with those in the Ming Dynasty in Fahai temple in Beijing , which features a parallel composition.

Some modern mural paintings use traditional composition forms. For example, the rhombic composition form of the mural painting in the Kezier Grotto in Xinjiang Uigur Autonoumous Region has been applied in “The Beautiful Land of the Country “, which is a modern mural painting, and the way of expression of the Han Dynasty’s stone mural paintings are also employed in modern mural painting.

Source: chinaculture.org