World-renowned Chinese pianist, Kong
Xiang-Dong,
recently performed in Silicon Valley, California, for a group
of high powered CEOs and other honored guests. Kong took
hold of the audience in a solo piano performance playing the
orchestral piece and the solo piece of the “Yellow River
Concerto”. It was musical paradise!
Kong grew up in Shanghai
during the Cultural Revolution and he is now creating a musical
revolution throughout the world. Imagine being on the “politically incorrect” list
during Mao China and by the age of 17 putting China
on the map for being the youngest prizewinner ever at the Moscow
Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1986. Included
in his concert performance were “Liebestraume No. 3”,
by Liszt, “Nocturne” in
C sharp minor, by Chopin, “The
Yellow River Concerto”, by Yin Cheng-zong,
Liu Zhuang, ChuWang-hua & Sheng
Li-Hong, “Rhapsodie Espagnole”, by Liszt, and “June
Bacarolle”, by Tchaikovsky. This
was a musical “Haute Couture” experience filled with
vastly contrasting styles and tempos. Literally “in the
hands” of Mr. Kong this was a spiritual experience.
Mr. Kong shares the same birth date as Franz Liszt,
born centuries apart and worlds apart, these two masters are
brought together “in the music”. At 36 years old,
Kong plays the piano with an understanding and emotional intelligence
well beyond his years. Mr. Kong’s interpretation of “Rhapsodie
Espanole” puts all your senses in overdrive. This piece
is rarely performed, as it is so complex, Kong’s hands
seem to move in different directions and the same directions
simultaneously at a lightening pace with elegance and grace.
Kong’s performance of Chopin’s “Nocturne” mesmerizes
you. The soft delicate notes of the piano smoothly slip into
your conscious mind and reside in your subconscious for hours
after it has been performed. One cannot escape Kong’s spell,
as he is able to musically put you in a trance of higher spiritual
thinking. This is what a “musician’s musician” is
all about-- music as religion. Kong’s music is so spiritual
it reaches to the core of one’s existence; he plays his
music with all his being. Because of his depth musically and
personally he brings out the gifts in all of us, particularly
the gift of feeling. Kong reaches to the humanity in all of us,
just as the teachings of his famous ancestor, Confucius,
he teaches us about striving to bring out our virtue.
Where does all this come from? Because
Kong Xiang-Dong was
born during the Cultural Revolution, he was not able to listen
to western music, as the Chinese government forbade it. He learned
to play the piano by practicing on a cardboard keyboard made
by his mother. He heard the notes only in his head, until he
was able to finally practice on a friend’s piano years
later. His energy to create music goes well beyond himself; he
has established the Kong Xiang-Dong Music Arts Center in
Shanghai. The Music Arts Center introduces and educates
young people to the world of classical piano and promotes international
cultural exchange. He currently has 17 schools with about 7000
students, and is growing that network to 1500 music centers by
the year 2006. In addition to his mentoring program, he performs
80 concerts a year throughout the world.
Mr. Kong has brought music
awareness to China by organizing musical galas in Shanghai.
He organized a concert with 200 pianos, in his own words, “that is not easy to rehearse, 200 pianos
playing at once”. By bringing these types of events to
China with people from all over the world, he teaches about the
humanness in everyone with music.
As the 75th descendent of the great Chinese
philosopher, Confucius,
Kong brings wisdom to his music. His famous ancestor would be
very proud that his teachings survive history and continue to
be passed on to new generations. Confucius said, “It
is by poetry that one’s mind is aroused; it is by ceremony
that one’s character is regulated; it is by music that
one becomes accomplished.” Kong Xiang-Dong has
accomplished so much in such a short period of time. When Kong
plays the “Yellow River Concerto”, it is like a transcendental
experience. His fingers move with elegance, every strike on the
keyboard awakens one’s spirit to the joy of the human experience,
beauty, intelligence, happiness, and sorrow as it tells the story
of the Yellow River, taking the listener on an emotionally charged
adventure. Kong is an inspiring human being and a national treasure
to his country. He has managed to combine the beauty in the eastern
and western musical styles and brought a new understanding of
the world and human behavior through his music. Xie Xie (thank
you), Kong Xiang-Dong.