Debra Li

Debra_lidan@163.com

MOST of the 1,680 seats were occupied Sunday afternoon at Shenzhen Concert Hall as 2018’s first free “Beautiful Sunday” concert brought the audiences on a 90-minute journey of pipe organ music.

This also marked the return of pipe organ concerts at the venue after a one-year hiatus as the grand instrument required maintenance.

“The humid climate makes it very challenging to keep the pipe organ in good condition,” explained Wu Qiyao, a senior representative of the Austria-based pipe organ manufacturer Rieger. A high-end manufacturer with a 173-year-old history, Rieger has built 10 pipe organs in China, including two in Hong Kong.

The instrument at Shenzhen Concert Hall, consisting of 6,432 pipes and weighing 35 tons, took two years to manufacture, install and tune when its construction first commenced 11 years ago.

Sunday’s concert, performed by teachers and students from Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SCM), introduced a classical repertoire of pipe organ music spanning a lengthy period from Bach to Olivier Messiaen. The program also took in “Through the Western Pass,” a short piece based on a Chinese folk song.

“Although it’s fairly new to the Chinese audience, the pipe organ, installed in churches, synagogues, concert halls, schools and other buildings, boasts a substantial repertoire which spans over 500 years,” said Wu Dan, a lecturer at SCM.

The seven-member team started a tour of 10 Chinese cities in June last year to promote pipe organ music to the public, with one stop in Shenzhen.

SCM became the first Chinese conservatory to have a major in pipe organ in 2016, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing is just about to take in its first pipe organ students this year.

Apart from concert halls and churches, pipe organs were also installed in theaters to accompany silent movies in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

To draw audiences to this unfamiliar instrument, French organist and composer Thierry Escaich revived the tradition by giving an improvised performance to accompany “The Goddess,” a silent movie starring Ruan Lingyu, in Shanghai on March 1.

“This field has been vacant in China until recent years, but we’re catching up,” Wu said.