Draft:Deqing Wen

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Deqing Wen, born in 1958 October 27th, is a Chinese-Swiss composer, who have studied composition in China, Switzerland, France and served as a visiting scholar at Columbia University (US) from 2005-2006. He is currently a professor of Composition and director at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, teaching "analysis and performance of contemporary music" as well as serving his duty as the Vice-department chair on music. He is also a member of the Societé Suisse pour les Droits des Auteurs d’Oeuvres and vice-chairman of the China-ASEAN musicians union.

Wen draws significant inspiration from Chinese traditional arts and philosophy, which inform his musical compositions. His works are noted for their technical brilliance, emotional depth, subtle tensions, and innovative blending of different musical genres, widely marked and acclaimed for their uniqueness and originality. With most reputable work a mixture of traditional Chinese music and complex western techniques. For example, The Fantasia of Peony Pavilion (2013), is a rearranged and recreated orchestra work that draws on the pitch material of both the Kun opera or Kunqu – one of China’s oldest forms of opera.

His major works include six string quartets, the violin concerto "Snow in Summer《夏天的雪》," the pipa concerto "Moonlit Night on the Spring River《春江花月夜》," the five-part series "Traces I《痕迹》" from solo to concerto, chamber music pieces such as "Elegy《悲歌》," "Bagua《八卦》," "Kung Fu《功夫》," "Love Song and Hocket《情歌与号子》," "Ink I《泼墨一》," "Ants Moving《蚂蚁搬家》," "Two Birds with One Stone《一笼二鸟》," and "New Tales of Yang Zongbao and Mu Guiying《杨宗保与穆桂英新传》," as well as orchestral works like "Love Song《情歌》" and "Zither《筝》." His opera "Gambling for Life《赌命》" has been successfully staged in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as in Shanghai, Beijing, and at the Savonlinna International Opera Festival in Finland.

Education

Born in a small town in southern China, Deqing Wen spent his childhood teaching himself the erhu (a traditional Chinese instrument similar to the Western violin). After the end of the Cultural Revolution, when university education reopened, Wen enrolled at Fujian Normal University to study music. During his four years there, he was introduced to Western classical music for the first time. Following his studies, he remained as a resident composer with the Ningxia Song and Dance Troupe, where he honed his musical composition skills over five years of practice. Wen studied composition in China, Switzerland and France, with Guo Zu-Rong, Shi Wan-Chun, Luo Zhong-Rong, Jean Balissat and Gilbert.

Since 1991, Wen has been living in Geneva. He is a member of the Association Suisse des Musiciens and the Societé Suisse pour les Droits des Auteurs d'Oeuvres Musicales. Over these past few years, he has returned to China several times to take part in musical exchanges between China, Switzerland and France.

Career

His work has received recognition in the international music community. While having conducted lectures and performances in China on multiple occasions, organized various cultural exchange events, commissioned works by Chinese composers, and contributed significantly to the promotion of modern music both domestic China and international realms.

Wen has been honored with concerts and masterclasses dedicated to his compositions in various countries including China, Switzerland, France, Denmark, the United States, Germany, and Israel. His works are published by reputable publishers such as Swiss Musical Edition, Bärenreiter-Verlag (Germany), Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press, and Beijing People’s Music Publishing House. Additionally, his albums are released by prominent record labels including Stradivarius Records (Italy), Grammont Portrait Contemporary SWISS, Naxos Records, Telos Music Records, and Shanghai Music Publishing House.

Music

Style

Wen's music is characterized by a combination of complexity and clarity, mystery and logic, awe and subtlety, imagination and rigor, as well as clarity and depth. His compositions demonstrate skilled craftsmanship and emotional richness, with intricate yet tension-filled passages. They are innovative yet approachable, aiming to explore different approaches to composition.

The most notable feature of his music style is his willingness and dedication to continuously draw Chinese indigenous music elements, Chinese philosophical thoughts, cultural elements and Chinese instruments with Western morden music and traditional music forms. For example, his Suona concerto, the first concerto written for instrument Suona "Traces IV," He drew Suona, the instrument with Chinese traditional art of calligraphy, drawing inspiration from the creative process of calligraphy to develop his music. The composition consists of several parts: the introduction (ink seeping), the main section (calligraphic strokes), the subordinate section (dotting), the interlude (shading), the development section (colorful embellishments), and the recapitulation of the subordinate and main sections. Throughout the process, wen likens the suona to a calligraphy brush and the orchestra to ink and paper. Through the interaction between the suona and the orchestra, we witness a flowing and uniquely styled calligraphic piece of music.

For most of his work, Wen Deqing tries to add a variation of mathematical interest and employs "organised rhythm" and rhythm designs based on rationality and mathematic rigour to create an uneven rhythmic sense in the music. For instance, in "Traces IV" Wen chopped up the rhythmic patterns mathematically: 4+5+6=15, 8+5+2=15, 3+5+7=15, 9+5+1=15, etc., the rhythms is extremely novel and ingenious and provides an unstable motion within the stable framework to continuously driving the music continually forward.

Major Works

1994	Complainte	13:08	Miscellaneous (Classical)
1992	JI I & JI II for piano Solo	08:00	Keyboard
2010	Love Song and River Chant, for orchestra	08:17	Orchestral
2014	Nostalgia, for orchestra	09:05	Orchestral
1994	QI (The Breath)	08:15	Miscellaneous (Classical)
2015	Shanghai Prelude, concerto for cello & orchestra	19:37	Concerto
1995	String quartet No 1	21:17	Chamber Music
2013	The Fantasia of Peony Pavilion, for orchestra	17:42	Orchestral
2000	Variation of a Rose, for orchestra	15:19	Orchestral
1995	Wu (The Awakening)	15:25	Miscellaneous (Classical)

Recognitions

"Philippe Albera, the renowned French musicologist and critic, stated that the fusion of erhu and string quartet timbres presents a complex challenge. Wen's solution is both creative and inspired. He entirely avoids the self-conscious exoticism or the cute East-meets-West trope, instead offering listeners an irresistibly logical and rare musical experience. It is neither trendy nor contrived. The reason for composing this piece for erhu and string quartet is because no other instrumental combination could reflect his unique and outstanding imagination. Its effectiveness, at the very least, enriches the chamber music repertoire with an extraordinary addition." (Vancouver Sun, 2006, David Gordon Duke)

"Inspired by Chinese calligraphy, as seen in 'Traces II,' Wen attempts to create a parallel between various brushstrokes and musical gestures: bold, delicate, swift, deliberate... Moreover, he imbues his musical lines with a silvery glow, juxtaposing deep roars with pure auditory postures, transcending the two-dimensional strokes of visual calligraphy."(The New York Times, 2006, Allan Kozinn)

"Wen Deqing's music guides characters' destinies into a world of vibrant emotions. Vocal and instrumental colors are intricately matched, with not a single note out of place. In this truly masterful work, its various orchestral sources are scientifically developed. The success of 'Gamble with Fate' holds significant meaning, as stated by the festival's artistic director, Mr. Francois Hudry: it is the most fitting and harmonious new work we offer to the audience, capable of bridging the gap between listeners and contemporary music."(Geneva Tribune, 2003, Anne Meier)

"...At the Vienna Modern Music Festival, Wen's music is as fresh as morning dew, as captivating as a detective novel, and as entertaining as the best friend at a gathering." (Salzburg Gazette, 1997, Derek Weber)