Buddhist monks from China gave a unique performance with an orchestra
THE Purana Quila had a different set of visitors recently: 25 Buddhist monks from China who chanted hymns, matching their deep voices with western violins and the soft chimes of bells and drums.
The evening was dramatised by a soprano whose libretto matched the soaring musical score.
There were about 170 musicians — alongside the monks from The Sengga Chorus of Shenzhen Hongfa Monastery were the Chinese Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus.
The performance titled “The Harmony of the Divine Land” began with the gentle tones of a wooden qing (a percussion instrument that sounds like a temple bell).
The conductor Cheng Ye said: “Our repertoire is western classical but it sounds divine when blended with Buddhist intones.
It was a pleasure to perform in India —a place which is so closely associated with the Buddha.” Cheng, 28, took over the 28-year-old orchestra only a year ago and is in India for the first time.
The first movement titled “The Lotus Store World” was played with traditional Buddhist instruments like the gong and the drum. The second and third movements were a blend of string instruments and the piano.
After the fourth movement, a complex symphony, there was a surprise. The orchestra ended the performance with AR Rahman’s Jai Ho with dexterity.
“We rehearsed this only once before our performance,” said Cheng, “Rahman is a great musician. We all would love to play with him some day.”
Source : http://www.screenindia.com
