Tan Weiwei's new concert celebrates diverse Chinese folk music
Chinese singer Tan Weiwei held the world premiere of her concert Shengsheng Shishi (literally Sounds of the Ages) at the China National Opera House in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, amid the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.
Featuring 17 songs, the concert was structured into four chapters, each inspired by the ancient Chinese classic Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas). Blending theatrical elements with vocal performances, the show transported audiences back in time to experience legendary tales such as Pangu creating heaven and earth and Nyuwa repairing the sky, while also highlighting the enduring influence of these myths through China's diverse folk cultural heritage.
Like a musical chameleon, Tan skillfully switched between folk, pop, rock and bel canto, wowing the audience with her extraordinary singing prowess.
What electrified the audience more was the smorgasbord of folk music and traditional Chinese operas that the 43-year-old artist melded in the production—Kangding Love Song from Sichuan, nanyin from Fujian, Hua'er from Gansu and Ningxia, Chuanjiang haozi (a boatman work song in Sichuan and Chongqing), Chaozhou big gong and drum music from Guangdong, Kunqu Opera, Tibetan Opera, Huayin Laoqiang Opera and Qinqiang Opera—to name a few.
