Reviving an ages-old instrument with a modern twist

Young musicians, with their innovative ideas, stylish appearances and more global perspective, are reviving numerous traditional instruments and making them trendy and cool again.

On Sunday night, Liu Wenwen delivered a suona (Chinese double-reed horn) concert with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. Lin has a PhD in the instrument.

The instrument, which dates back to the Silk Road days, is probably the most difficult of all the instruments and was frequently used by the military or for ritual purposes in the past and is still played in some parts of China during funerals. Its sharp tone conjures up a vintage, rural image.

Liu's parents are also suona players. Her mother comes from a line of musicians who have been playing suona since the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), while her father is a seventh-generation soloist in his family.

The youthful, stylish soloist began playing the instrument with a high pitched at the age of 4 and was reluctant to carry on the family tradition because she didn't want anyone to know that she was playing an "old-fashioned" instrument. But now, she wants to breathe new life into it.

Her most recent endeavor is "A Spray of Flower," a new concerto that was commissioned and is based on the classic suona work of the same name.

"It is not only a famous suona song but its cultural origin can be traced back to novels in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and plays in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)," says Shen Ye, the new concerto's composer.

"My vision for the new concerto is one that integrates central and western Chinese sounds as well as Western melodies, one that chants the passionate romance and faith in the human world."

Shen researched the artwork in the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, which depict suona players from 1,600 years ago, during field trips to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. That image became the starting point of the concerto.

In 2019, Breitkopf & Hartel, one of the oldest music publishing houses in the world, signed Shen as the first Chinese composer.

Shen has received appreciation for his seamless transition and integration between the two musical realms to produce a new sound. He has a comprehensive knowledge of both Chinese musical traditions and Western New Music media.