21.05.05 – 22.05.05
The Art of Unfolding

Saturday the 21th May – Sunday the 22th May
Beijing, China

Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen

Sebastian Gottschick, conductor
Maurice Weddington, composer, film director, narrator
Wang Yuanyan, choreography
Wang Yuanyan, dancer
Fei Bo, dancer
Harrie Starreveld, flute
Ernest Rombout, oboe
Harry Sparnaay, clarinet

Beyond my ever growing fascination with ancient Chinese Art, particularly that of the Ming Dynasty, there are at the heart of this series, the following aims:

To simultaneously manifest various cohesive artistic elements, pay tribute to the binding unity that exists between vastly different cultures, provide a very broad spectrum of artistic disciplines for audiences of divergent interests via unified interactions of Oriental and Occidental art forms spanning more than half a millennium. – Maurice Weddington –

No doubt, China is currently one of the most booming regions in the world. Economical progress, a new open-mindedness, and a growing interest for China and Chinese culture all over Europe have laid the basis for strong links between one of the largest countries of the world with a population of more than a billion inhabitants and many smaller ones in the western part of the world. Among these European countries, Denmarks plays a key-role in many different ways, and both the recently settled direct SAS flight connection from Copenhagen to Shanghai and Beijing and the forthcoming opening of a branch of the Danish Cultural Institute in China underline the importance of close contacts on different fields between China and Denmark.

China, however, is not only one of the fastest developing countries of the world, but also one of those with the richest cultural heritage, a cultural history hardly to be equalled. Ancient Chinese paintings, made accessible in all their details and uncomparable beauty by the means of film, represent one of the most fruitful periods in Chinese art, the Ming Dynasty. Cultural heritage and all sorts of modern achievements, between these poles China is making its way into the 21st century. Ancient painting, modern expressive dance, and contemporary musical language, connected by the latest film technique give the framework for ”The Art of Unfolding”.

To contribute notably with an outstanding artistical project to the development of Danish-Chinese relationships is the main purpose of ”The Art of Unfolding”. A stronger connection of people, audiences as well as representatives of both countries’ political, economical, and cultural life, is intended to be the practical outcome of a series of performances in both China and Denmark in October 2005. This is underlined by the fact that the performances in Beijing and Shanghai are accompanied not only by Athelas’ musicians but a joint ensemble of Danish and Chinese players, the latter especially selected for this project.

 

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ATHELAS Sinfonietta Copenhagen
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