Fuhong Shi: High Mountains and Flowing Rivers – Broken Strings
Double Bass: Henry Chen / Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra and Tien-Ku Percussion Group / Chih-Sheng Chen / National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan, 2019.1.24.
“High Mountains and Flowing Rivers – Broken Strings” is written for Double Bass and Chinese orchestra. It is inspired by the ancient Chinese legend about the deep friendship between guqin (Chinese zither) virtuoso Yu Boya and woodcutter Zhong Ziqi during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and Warring States Period (475-221 BC), who were together in spirit like the high mountains and flowing rivers. This touching and well-known story describes how Yu Boya broke his guqin because of the death of his soulmate, Zhong Ziqi, who profoundly understood his performance and spirit. It expresses the powerful bonds of true friendship in ancient Chinese culture. With the rapid development of science and technology, our lifestyle and communication methods have been revolutionized. True friendship and affection is ever more precious in this fast-paced contemporary era of information bombardment and convenient communications. This piece anticipates and yearns for the true friendship that never ends nor fades.
