Music Corridor Series -- Prokofiev Song Collection

Author: Zhang Luqiao, edited by Deng Yingyi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Prokofiev, a renowned Russian pianist and composer, was born on April 23, 1891, in Ekaterinoslav, Russia. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1914 and passed away in Moscow in 1953. His works include operas such as Love for Three Oranges, War and Peace, and I Am a Son of a Worker, ballets like Romeo and Juliet and The Age of Steel, as well as symphonic fairy tales such as Peter and the Wolf and The Ugly Duckling. This book collects 21 songs, among which five songs are particularly noteworthy. The arrangers have slightly adapted and incorporated some poetic verses from China's Nineteen Ancient Poems into the music, representing a new attempt. Whether this will provoke controversy or criticism is uncertain, but we believe that everything is evolving. Ancient poetry needs introduction and musical arrangement, and music is constantly innovating. By organically grafting and combining these two elements, could a new effect be created? The translation and arrangement of Tang poems using modern music techniques, as well as Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, which sets Tang poems to German, have given us a new insight: whether ancient Chinese poetry and modern music can also be combined to produce a new style and effect, bridging the beautiful ancient poetry with modern music, much like a youthful and lovely girl wearing different outfits in different eras or occasions. This can make poetry more appealing and accessible to people of different ethnicities, countries, and cultures, fostering artistic exchange, communication, and integration.
Perhaps it may not be immediately familiar or pleasing to some listeners, but others may find it and easily accepted. Modern music is often complex and distinctive in melody and harmony, making it seem difficult to sing or understand. However, the forefront of music has indeed reached that stage. While ordinary people may choose not to listen or sing, musicians cannot afford to ignore the development of world music. Only by engaging with, understanding, familiarizing themselves with, and researching it can we broaden our horizons and gain the right to speak about it. Through mutual borrowing and integration, music can flourish with greater vitality, truly achieving a colorful and diverse landscape of artistic expression.
There is no need to immediately suppress, oppose, or condemn things that are unfamiliar or disliked. Art that is not accepted today may be embraced and even flourish in the future, either in a few years or in a different place. A scientific attitude allows people to experiment and innovate through different trials, benefiting the development of art.
The above are merely personal opinions, for reference only.