Hello, Bei-Da-Huang

Hello, Bei-Da-Huang

Wenbin Tuo

     Art and its propelling spirit endure, despite the cruelty of life. In fact, the drama of harsh life tends to precipitate an enduring spirit, inspiring many with or without comprehending the true meaning of life experience. The Beijing Bei-Da-Huang Choir (BDH Choir) provided such a compelling proof through their concert "Songs from the Land of Black Soil" on Dec. 1, 2007 in Northwest High School, Germantown, MD. The sponsors of this concert included the Chinese Music Society of Greater Washington, Overseas Chinese Association for Educated Youth-DC, Washington Chinese Chorus (WCC), and Columbia Chinese Choral Art Society (CCCAS).

    Established a decade ago and led by Xunzhi Jiang (tenor) and Xu Guan (conductor), members of this amateur choir were among millions of those who once lived through their youth in Bei-Da-Huang, which literally means the northern (Bei), vast (Da) and primitive (Huang) region in Northeast China. "Land of Black Soil" is what they affectionately refer to the area. One goal of this choir is to revive, through vocal art, the abiding spirit of selfless sacrifice of those daring young men and women (Zhi Qing) who strived to make the virgin land of Black Soil a rich source of grains in the 60s and 70s. Apparently, grains were not the only thing they managed to mass-produce with prehistoric tools; their courageous spirit face the reality and challenge the nature and themselves was even more plentiful and surviving. This spirit and the resulting humanity were now vividly articulated by the art of their creative voice with incredible enthusiasm.

    The 40-member choir made a direct and prevailing connection with the audience by its opening piece "Song of Bei-Da-Huang", in which Bei-Da-Huang as their "place of second birth" was truthfully and passionately interpreted. You would almost hear the brutal winter blizzard in the 6-month long winter time and visualize the vast wheat and corn fields in summer and fall. It also conveyed that the place is a beauty of nature, but patiently trying to influence the audience to envision as those who reluctantly spent their early adulthood there years ago. However, with "Hello, Bei-Da-Huang" and "Song of the Zhi Qing", they elucidated no remorse or bitterness, but vigor, and were eager and determined to outshine the bumpy past.

    Peking Opera, as a true native form of Chinese performing and vocal art has been cherished by generations, conquered this crowd again. Instead of a traditional piece, the choral-adapted version retold an ancient tale of the loyal wife's last farewell to her beloved husband, heroic but defeated King of Chu (232-202 BC) in his last attempt to elude a failing destiny. Most strikingly, it was delivered in a massive choral form, retaining its original subtle and lusty temperament while adding overwhelming power of devastating sorrow, persistence and a sense of belief.

    The concert climaxed with songs jointly performed by the BDH Choir and two local choirs WCC and CCCAS and conducted by Messrs Duke Tang, Phil Peng and Xu Guan, with a solid sense of ensemble and a clear display of alliance. Led by the memorable soloist Ms. Junqiu He, the group of 120-plus presented "Ode to the Yangtze River" with passion, detailing the motherly nature, historical supremacy and apparent eternity of this adored holy river of China. The entire program was elegantly delivered, featuring solos, duets, trios, quartets, cappella, or chorus embedded with rich culture and tradition, elicited hearty responses and seized the large and lively audience throughout the entire concert.

    "The past and present have met in perfect harmony and the performers and audience have reached a mutual understanding during the concert", agreed by both local organizers and audience. Indeed, the BDH Choir has left, but their music and striving spirit remain and continue to inspire those who love and cherish their works as well as the ever-lasting Bei-Da-Huang spirit. Undoubtedly, the theme of Bei-Da-Huang spirit, carried by music or other platforms, will thrive and persist in years to come. (From the Beijing BDH Choir US Tour Sponsoring Committee)