Liu Mao performs Chinese trumpet concerto Liu Sanjie in Tianjin, China

As part of a special concert to celebrate International Women’s Day, the Tianjin Philharmonic Society Orchestra presented a Chinese trumpet concerto during a program celebrating motherhood.  Liu Mao, associate professor of trumpet at the Tianjin Normal University performed Liu Sanjie by composer Xu Lin, a former trumpet professor at Guangxi Art College and well-known composer with over 20 composition for trumpet solo. The 25-minute three movement work was first composed in 1958 but has received several revisions during the ensuing years.  The programmatic work is based on a famous singer, Queen Liu Sanjie, from the Guangxi Province.  It weaves traditional folksongs from the province in expressing clever humor, bravery and ideal images of love.  Her expression of love in her singing follows a tradition of courtship communication through singing as asking someone out on a date, and the answer would come in the form of a sung melody.

The first movement, with several cadenzas, portrays the freedom of time inherent in Chinese folksong and tells the story of a rich man who, through a teacher, asks Liu Sanjie several questions which she answers through song. The ending is fast and features much double tonguing. The second movement portrays lovers in the evening, in a moonlit bamboo forest.  They are looking for a relationship and test each other’s wit through singing.  The trumpet solo uses a mute to contrast the melodies and the questioning nature of the writing.  The third movement describes flowers and the ocean as its melodies sweep quickly by in a very fast tempo.  The interplay between the soloist and orchestra evoke images of singing and dancing.

Liu Mao performed the concerto dressed in a Zhuang traditional costume.  Prior to her appearance in this dress only two such costumes existed in China.  One was designed and created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the other is in a museum in the Guangxi Province.   The composer Xu Lin made arrangements for a copy of the museum costume to be made for Liu Mao for this performance.  The composer also coached the preparation for the concert using cellular phones to listen and communicate interpretive ideas.

Israel Getzov, the conductor of the Tianjin Philharmonic is from the US and holds the position of director of orchestras at Central Arkansas University and also conductor of the Conway Symphony.  The performance received an enthusiastic response from the audience due to impressive playing by the soloist and inspired orchestral support.

Sources: Chen Rui, Trumpet professor in Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Tianjin, CHINA

Dr. Gregory Jones, Trumpet professor in Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA