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[Playing the Erhu with your heart] China Erhu Academy Erhu School
Zhang Huan Erhu Concert in Yamaguchi
On December 6, 2015, we held the "Zhang Hwan Erhu Concert - Gratitude to my Hometown in Japan". The concert was held in Sanyo Onoda City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the city where Zhang Hwan first visited Japan in 1998. It has been 18 years since then, but the people of Yamaguchi welcomed me warmly and gave me a lot of support. Thanks to them, I am able to live and play in Japan today. This concert was held to convey my gratitude.
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On the day, many guests arrived before the doors even opened. As it had been a long time since Chang Hwan's last concert, both the guests and the performers were excited when the performance began. Chang Hwan's deep, warm, and healing tones, such as "Like the Flow of a River," "In the Sky and the Earth," and "Suzhou Nocturne," filled the hall. Chang Akiko also joined in on the sub-melody, and the two performed from the heart to convey their feelings of gratitude.
Jiang Tao's solo piece "Red Candlelight" will be followed by other Chinese pieces such as "Eight Springs Reflecting the Moon" and "Nostalgia Song."
"Horse Racing" is powerfully performed with three erhus. It is a longer arrangement with more scenes of horses galloping and a solo by Jang Hwan that sounds like a Mongolian song.
After a break, the second half continued with Shakubun's Yangqin and "The Last Emperor" accompanied by piano by Harada Reiko.
And then the guest, the Onoda Wind Orchestra, appeared. They were connected through the fact that Jang Hwan made a guest appearance at the regular concert of this "Onosui" when he first came to Japan. During the meeting, everyone was excited to talk about old times.
After "Oliver's March," they performed "A Thousand Winds" and "Song of the Wheat" with a powerful performance backed by a brass band of 35 members.
Towards the end of the concert, the students from Yamaguchi and Kitakyushu performed songs such as "The Ocean is My Hometown" and "Hometown." Many students who have been studying with the group since the beginning also participated, and the songs they learned long ago brought back many memories, making for a very moving performance.
After the show, we were in the entrance hall, reunited with old friends, and tears of joy flowed from our eyes. Time flew by as we chatted, took photos, and shook hands.
After the event and at the after-party the next day, all the performers gathered around Professor Zhang and had a chance to talk about various things over a meal.
There was also a lesson before the party, where we were able to thoroughly review the important things to know when playing the erhu.
A lot of time has passed, but whenever I meet with everyone in the Yamaguchi classroom, we feel like family and I can instantly go back in time.
This concert made everyone realize once again that they want to continue to cherish the warm connections that have been cultivated.
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