Violinist Angel Wang will be the soloist in a concert titled Phoenix Rising. The performance on December 2 will be presented at Koerner Hall by the Canadian Chinese Society for the Arts, an organization Wang founded.
East and West meet in a programme that includes a traditional Chinese work, a new commission from Chinese Canadian composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, and selections from the Mahler’s Symphony No 2, The Resurrection, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliette Suite.
It represents a global perspective on the notion of classical music, one that Angel feels strongly about.
The Interview
Angel Wang is a concert violinist who’s performed in both Canada and China, and her roots in music go back to her childhood.
The terms classical music is most often presumed to include the Western style with European roots. There is, however, a large body of Chinese classical music, along with contemporary music that takes inspiration from both traditions.
Western classical music in China
Angel had the opportunity to witness the growth of Western classical music traditions in her native China, both in the past, and during her frequent visits. “In the past ten years I would say, noticeably,” she notes of the increase in interest, particularly in younger children (and their parents), resulting in a great demand for education in piano and strings.
“They are really enthusiastic for this education in their life.” The big stars of the classical music world are putting Chinese venues on their concert tours, along with the rise of local stars like Lang Lang and Yuja Wang.
“They have built so many new classical music halls and theatres,” she notes.
East & West
“For me, my father taught me at the very beginning,” she says. She says her father was a talented amateur musician who taught himself to play five different instruments. Angel began with the erhu, a — a traditional two-stringed bowed instrument.
Eventually, she came to Canada. “I came here to study,” she says. After graduating from the Royal Conservatory, she was offered a teaching position.
The traditional Chinese music her father had introduced her remains a strong influence. “It’s still ringing in my head,” she laughs. “It’s always a dream for me to arrange it for a Western kind of orchestra format.”
Angel formed the Canadian Chinese Society for the Arts with the goal of blending both. “That was back in 2016,” she recalls, “and that was something always in my mind.” She wanted to bring the traditions together in a concert that showcased both Chinese and Western classical music.
The organization began simply, with a goal of presenting concerts. “We spent quite a bit of time to find a proper name.”
The CCSA presented its first concert in 2017, titled From Vienna to Beijing to Hollywood, included music from Mozart, Tchaikovsky, movies, and Chinese traditional songs. “The first concert was sold out,” she said. “It gave us a lot of encouragement to continue.”
The successful pattern has continued. One of the orchestra’s highlights was a 2019 tour to Beijing. “We got invited by the Beijing Government to participate in an international festival,” she says. “We were quite honoured. I brought a 42-piece orchestra back to Beijing.” The performance took place in the Beijing Concert Hall. “The audience was very passionate.”
The Concert
The concert on December 2 in Toronto takes its title from the work for solo violin and orchestra that was commissioned from composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. “To us, it’s a dream to play a commissioned work,” she says.
Angel says she always had Ho in mind. “Alice’s work takes its inspiration from the Chinese myth of the phoenix,” she says. The theme of rebirth after adversity resonates. “It’s a parallel with our own times. We survived.”
He Zhan Hao and Chen Gang’s Butterfly Lovers Concerto is also on the programme. The music comes from a Chinese legend very similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The young lovers, in this case, turn into butterflies.
“It’s a very well known piece of music. It was originally written as a traditional Chinese folk opera,” she says. “It was turned into a violin concerto, and became a huge hit in China.” Traditional Chinese instruments accompany the introduction to the piece. It’s also a substantial piece. “It’s 30 minutes long. It’s a big concerto.” She’ll be performing a 17-minute excerpt. “It’s very powerful, it’s beautiful, it’s romantic.”
Conductor Claudio Vena is also a composer and musician, formerly the electric violist/mandolinist with the progressive rock group FM. He has conducted at the Royal Conservatory, and as music director of the Canadian Chinese Society for the Arts (CCSA) Orchestra. He has worked as composer/musician/sound design for the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, as well as The Canadian Stage Company, and written music for Quartetto Gelato, among others.
Angel is grateful to be able to work with the Toronto’s deep talent pool in the realm of orchestral music to make up the member of the CCSA Orchestra. “There are a lot of wonderful, wonderful musicians in town,” she says. “It’s an honour to work with so many talented musicians. I feel happy because they are very supportive.”
In the end, it’s about the music.
“The goal is to be a bridge between two cultures, to lead to understanding via beautiful music.”
Tickets and more information [HERE].
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