Greek Immigration Life: According to the Greek newspaper "China-Greece Times," on the evening of October 26, local time, Chinese Guzheng performer Chang Jing and flute/xiao performer Zhang Di presented a spectacular feast of traditional Chinese music to the Greek audience at the TRIANON Theater in downtown Athens. The concert opened with "Xi" (Past), a piece composed by Chang Jing herself. Three consecutive classic pieces of hers created a serene atmosphere throughout the venue, making the audience feel as if they had traveled along the Silk Road to the ancient Eastern civilization. Zhang Di's performance of the millennium-old "Ge Xi Mei Ling" also vividly depicted the charm of the East.
Chang Jing, known as the "Guzheng Fairy," performed the Guzheng solo "Li Yue - Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye" at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the Athens concert, she performed this classic piece once again, giving the Greek audience an opportunity to experience the grandeur of the ritual music from the Olympic opening ceremony.
The concert reached its climax with the addition of the ancient Greek lyre band Lyre 'n' Rhapsody. The first piece was an improvisation based on Chang Jing's composition "Ru Yan," which infused the original Chinese style with the flavor of ancient Greece. The following two pieces, "Jin Lv Yun" and "Yanni by the Water," were improvised by the two Chinese musicians and the ancient Greek lyre band over the previous two days, and that evening marked their debut performance. When the music ended, the audience stood up to applaud and cheer for the musicians. A Greek journalist remarked that while they had heard Guzheng and ancient Greek lyre music separately before, they had never imagined such a wonderful collaboration between the two instruments, which far exceeded their expectations.
After the performance, Greek shipowner Angelakos came backstage with his family to enthusiastically express his admiration to the musicians. Upon receiving the concert notice, he immediately informed his company's employees, encouraging them to attend and covering the ticket costs for them. More than twenty people from his company attended, which allowed the musicians to feel the immense love the Greek people have for Chinese music and culture.
With this Athens Guzheng concert, Chang Jing broke the outdated and ancient perceptions of traditional Chinese music. Through her own compositions and reinterpretations, as well as improvisations with crossover musician and flute/xiao performer Zhang Di and the ancient Greek lyre band Lyre 'n' Rhapsody, she brought a refreshing new classical Chinese music concert to the Greek audience. She is an independent musician who excels at drawing nourishment from classical culture and interpreting the beauty of the classics in a way that resonates with modern aesthetics. Her pioneering fusion of Guzheng playing with lyrical singing is unique, and her lingering, resonant voice, combined with ethereal improvisation, reaches deep into the soul.
It is understood that the pieces performed by the Chinese and Greek musicians at this concert will be included in the first collaborative Chinese-Greek music album, which will be released simultaneously in both China and Greece. This will mark the first close collaboration between musicians in the history of China-Greece relations.
Next, the two Chinese musicians will travel to the famous island of Santorini to hold a Santorini Guzheng concert at the Venetsanos Winery amphitheater on October 31, where they will perform live improvisations with the renowned Greek world music artist Ross Daly.