Wu Han: Chamber music will have its day in China

Lincoln Center musician serves as ambassador for a fine art

Wu Han, an accomplished chamber music pianist, says China has the potential to produce the high-level art form.

"With millions of young people learning music, China is fertile ground for planting the seeds of chamber music," Han said.

In May, the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center in New York, went to Beijing and Shanghai for performances initiated by its co-artistic directors Han and her husband David Finckel, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of China.

It was the first time that a major chamber music organization had been invited to perform in Chinese mainland, and it was a huge success.

"The success of the performances in China proved that Chinese audiences enjoyed this art form very much," Han said. "But most Chinese today are still new to this art form. So still a lot of effort has to be put in."

Han is a concert performer, recording artist, educator, administrator and a cultural entrepreneur. Passionately committed to promoting chamber music for nearly the past decade, the Taiwan-born and raised musician said her passion for chamber music has never ebbed.

"Chamber music is the most fascinating, the most sophisticated and the most inspiring art form once you understand it," Han said. "It brings community together; it's all about communication. And because it changes all the time depending on the personality and chemistry, it's the most flexible art form. It still amuses and amazes me all the time when I go to a chamber music concert."

Han began her musical studies at age 9, and within a few years, won first prizes in all the major competitions in Taiwan.

Han's path to the US began when a teacher from the Hartford Conservatory in Connecticut, who had heard Han's recital in Taiwan, offered her a full scholarship. She arrived in the US for master's study in 1981.

Despite experience playing solo, concertos and recital programs in Taiwan, Han, 21 at the time, had never played chamber music.

"My teacher said if you had never played chamber music, you would have no musical idea," said Han, who knew she was facing a challenge.

"I realized I was way behind in my chamber music training and in my understanding of this art form and in my understanding of the complete score," Han added. "It just changed the whole concept of my musicianship.

"In chamber music, from Haydn to Schumann, Beethoven, Mozart, all of the major composers have a huge repertoire played by themselves, which basically is a totally new territory for me," Han said "So even though I had a big repertoire for concerto, for solo stuff, it really took me up to 10 years to build my chamber music repertoire."

By studying with accomplished pianists Raymond Hanson, Rudolf Serkin, Herbert Stessin, Lilian Kallir and Menahem Pressler, Han improved her skills and musicianship rapidly.

"When I decided to came to the US, I thought I would just spent two years to get a master's degree then go back home, but I stayed," said Han, pausing, "for chamber music and for my husband, who at that point was a cellist in the Emerson String Quartet".

"I met my husband from winning the chamber music competition, and the grand prize was get to play with the Emerson String Quartet," Han said.

The quartet is an ensemble in residence at the State University of New York in Stony Brook.

"My relationship with David, it came from playing music together, and that relationship never changed," she said. "When we play together, something magic always happens, even till today."

In 2003, the couple and partners inaugurated Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in California offering concerts, lectures and training for aspiring professional musicians, which has gotten international acclaim.

In 2006, Han and Finckel were hired as the co-artistic directors of the CMS of Lincoln Center. In their third term, the couple have the longest tenure since Charles Wadsworth, the founding artistic director.

In 2012, Han and Finckel won the Musical America's Musicians of the Year award together, one of the highest honors granted in the US.

"I really love that, (because) as a musician marrying another musician, my husband really understands me, and he always encourages me to explore something I really want to do," Han said. "I'm very lucky in that way."

As directors, Han and Finckel lead the society's education initiatives, training program for young musicians, new music-commissioning program, radio broadcasts and and nationwide touring.

The couple are well known for their passionate commitment to nurturing the careers of young through an array of education initiatives.

Han talked about the program, CMS II, that they are running, which selected the best young musicians around the world to enter the CMS draft. When entering the draft, the young musicians have the privilege to play one of the world's best concert stage, Lincoln Center, on the tour and to record radio programs.

The CMS also will invite eight senior musicians in the US to spend time with the young people on musicianship.

"Because I myself had a privilege to spend a lot of time with senior musicians, who changed my life, I want to provide the same opportunity to the young people to give them a platform to the new career," Han said.

"I really think chamber music should come to the Far East, should go to all the major cities in the Far East," she said.

"I really believe once the audience learns more about chamber music, they will enjoy it so much more," said Han, who along with her husband serves as an artistic director of Chamber Music Today, an annual festival held in Seoul. The festival, now in its fifth year, works on expanding the presence of chamber music in the Far East.

"I really believe human beings want to achieve a higher level; you always want to achieve something out of the ordinary, something a little more sophisticated, something with high quality," Han said.

Han said that soon radio programs recorded by the CMS, which has already broadcast in a wide range of radio around the world, will air in Shanghai.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 11/06/2015 page11)