Life and Leisure

Cui Jian rocked by his roots

By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-09 08:00

Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock 'n' roll, has inspired a number of young rock souls during the past 20 years and some of them have seen their dreams come true. Now, the 50-year-old veteran rock musician is going to fulfill his dream of going back to his roots - classical music.

Cui Jian's New Year shows will combine rock and classical music. Zou Hong / China Daily

He will collaborate with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra to present two concerts in Beijing on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 2011.

"This attempt has long been in my mind," Cui says. "Combining rock and classical music will bring audiences a fresh listening experience. And for myself, it's also an exciting challenge."

More than 80 musicians from the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will perform at the concerts and Cui points out, "they are definitely not just accompaniment for me. Everyone plays a leading role at the concerts".

Crossover projects like these are not new - German heavy metal band Scorpions held a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - but both Cui and Tan Lihua, the conductor of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, stress that it will be the first time a large-scale concert of rock and classical music will be held in China, and Asia.

Cui joined the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in 1981 and played in it for seven years. His father was a trumpet player in the People's Liberation Army, which nourished his taste for classical music. When Cui heard his first Beatles tape in 1985, however, he learned to play electric guitar and everything changed.

"He is an adventurer with a restless soul. When he worked in the Orchestra 30 years ago, he always tried to pursue new musical ideas. He overcame many obstacles to pave the way for Chinese rock music, which is unbelievable," Tan says. "Working together again is a long-time wish for both of us."

Tan adds the Beijing Symphony Orchestra has collaborated with other musical genres such as folk music, traditional opera and pop music, but this is the first time the 35-year-old orchestra will play rock.

Cui says it will be like going home.

"While making my dream come true, these concerts will prove my view - that there are no boundaries in the world of music."

"A symphony orchestra, jazz and folk music are mutual languages and we use them to express our feelings. But today, music is commercialized and people follow trendy music which can make money but ignore other musical genres, which is wrong.

"The charm of music is its freedom, which comforts people and releases emotions. It has huge potential and should not be labeled or restrained," he says.

China Daily