Good morning, afternoon, and evening,
This guzheng piece was filmed by my dear friend Lely who is also a guzheng musician and violinist. Lely is visiting me from Yale University where she founded and has been running the New Haven Chinese Cultural Cooperative since 2023. They promote traditional Chinese and Taiwanese music and give concerts in the greater New Haven area. Check out their website for their upcoming concerts!
Lely and I have been having a great time talking about music, food, culture and life. I showed her my instruments. She played for me beautifully. It was my first time hearing my own guzheng played like a symphony. I was overjoyed and decided to play something too on a totally randomly tuned scale on the spot. Lely recorded this new improvisation. Thanks to her being right there at this special moment and documented it.
Zheng in the title is Zhèng Bǎnqiáo (郑板桥, 1693–1765). He was a renowned Qing Dynasty painter, calligrapher, and poet, celebrated as one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou." (扬州八怪). Zheng specialized in ink bamboo and orchid paintings, infusing them with poetic expression and a distinctive, bold calligraphic style known as "slanting bones" (xie ti). A principled Confucian scholar-official, he famously resigned his post as county magistrate in protest over famine relief policies, embodying his rebellious spirit and deep empathy for the common people. His work fused art, poetry, and moral integrity, leaving a lasting legacy in Chinese literati culture.
Claude Monet (1840–1926) was a French Impressionist painter whose revolutionary approach focused on capturing fleeting effects of light, atmosphere, and color in the natural world. Rebelling against traditional studio techniques, he often painted en plein air (outdoors), using rapid, visible brushstrokes and a vibrant palette to convey immediate sensory experiences. Monet’s iconic series include Water Lilies, Haystacks, and Rouen Cathedral.
Hope this piece brings you a moment of wonder.
Wu Fei 吴非
wufeimusic.com
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