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阳春三月，全国首家青瓷瓯乐艺术团在东海之滨的慈溪挂牌成立，一时吸引了海内外众多人士关注的目光。千年唐宋古乐是如何复兴的？碎瓷破瓦怎样发出动听的旋律？为此，笔者专程前往进行了一番实地探访。
中国越窑瓯乐倾倒法兰西观众
提起青瓷瓯乐，不得不说章均立。在慈溪，最早开始关注和研究越窑青瓷瓯乐的就是他。在乐团三楼那间略显简陋的办公室，笔者见到了“退而不休”的章均立。谈起自己与瓯乐的不解之缘，年逾六旬的他记忆犹新——
那是1989年，他45岁，从慈溪越剧团的敲鼓岗位，转到慈溪市文物保护管理委员会去做考古工作。“记得是1998年12月下旬一个寒冷的早晨，我与同事们从上林湖寺龙口的发掘处偶然发现一件中间细两头粗的器皿。说是器皿，但两头空空，怎么盛水？紧接着，一只装饰性很强的青瓷钟破土而出。此后，在寺龙口一共挖得了钟、埙、腰鼓、火照、鸟哨等显然是乐器的上百件残件及整件。”
就从那时候开始，正在攻读中文大专的章均立开始从唐诗中寻找答案，因为陶瓷之路始于唐朝。很快，他从大诗人白居易的诗《醉赠刘二十八使者》中找到了佐证：“为我引杯添酒饮，与君把箸击盘歌。”在另一首《敲酒盏唱短歌》中，瓯乐踪迹更加明显：“越器敲来曲调成，腕头句滑间轻清，随风摇曳有余韵，测水浅深多泛声。”几经考证，章均立确证慈溪上林湖为我国古代海上陶瓷之路起点的同时，更是瓯乐乐器的重要烧制场所。他和同事们一边复原考古成果，一边寻根问“书”，不久自发组织的慈溪瓯乐演奏团开始活动了。初创的日子，演奏团整理挖掘已经失传千年的瓯乐，并与慈溪市越窑青瓷研究所密切合作，根据史书记载及考古发现，仿制出了用于演奏的盘、杯、炉盖、腰鼓、火照、埙、鸟哨等40多件瓯乐乐器。同时，他们以流行于宁波三北地区的“姚滩”音乐为素材，写出了《九秋风露越窑开》《丰收锣鼓》等一批作品，还尝试用青瓷排练了《梅花三弄》《春江花月夜》等古典名曲。
2003年夏天，青瓷瓯乐首次走出国门。那年法国的“中国文化年国际乐队艺术节”组委会发来了热情的邀请函。一行45人的中国慈溪瓯乐演奏团在法国的演出大获成功。三场演出场场爆满，令法国观众如痴如醉。1200多年前中国陶瓷从慈溪上林湖经由海上输出运往欧洲，开启了一条“海上陶瓷之路”，如今在法国再度掀动了“雪拉同（青瓷）热”。8月下旬，法国经历着近百年来少有的酷热，但波黑沃城市中心广场仍然挤满了热情的观众，当一排排碗、盅、碟、杯、埙等百余件青瓷器物在演员们手中发出精妙的乐音时，人们欢呼雀跃。三场演出，尤其是乐团在当年海上陶瓷之路终点的法国唐润纳克市的演出，现场观众情绪热烈高涨，演出一结束，他们纷纷走上舞台，小心翼翼地摸摸越窑青瓷，轻轻地击打一下。当他们发现作为乐器的瓷碗里盛着或多或少的清水时，更是惊讶不已，当被告知清水是用来调音时，他们先是诧异万分，然后恍然大悟。异国他乡的观众被来自东方的千年古乐镇住了，当地报纸报道：“源于万里之遥的中国唐宋瓯乐让法兰西观众大开眼界。”
就在那届艺术节上，慈溪市瓯乐演奏团被评为“最佳乐队”。在笔者面前，回忆起在艺术节上的那段表演，章均立至今历历在目：“尤其当演奏起为海上陶瓷之路而作的《九秋风露越窑开》时，盛唐时代的悠扬旋律，上林湖边百窑齐燃的场面被演绎得淋漓尽致，原定45分钟的压轴表演不得不增加到70分钟。”面对着鲜花和掌声，兼任乐团指挥的章均立激动得流下热泪。演出结束，艺术节组委会负责人欣喜地对他竖起了大拇指：“不可思议！不可思议！看似普通的青瓷器皿，竟能奏出如此天籁之音。”
失传千年古老瓯乐得以新生
丁钊年现为慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团总监。他1966年出生，早年在慈溪锦堂师范文艺班学习打鼓，1978年进入慈溪越剧团学打鼓。说起自己的民乐以及瓯乐之路，丁钊年说：“章均立老师和我的父亲给我很大影响。我父亲也是个民乐爱好者，吹拉弹唱样样精通。父亲经常说起，他对民间‘敲碗盏’特别感兴趣，还曾向一位前清老秀才拜师学艺。章均立老师又是现在青瓷瓯乐的开创者之一。两位父辈的遗传和影响，让我走上了青瓷瓯乐的道路。”
从纯音乐的角度来看，瓯乐和成熟的民族乐相比既单一也不悦耳。乐团演奏时，瓯乐就像烧菜用的调味品，还只是一个小配角。在加盟慈溪民族乐团之后，丁钊年开始考虑让瓯乐突破“配角”的角色问题。并想到了用“外脑”进行创作。2004年，浙江小百花越剧团刘建宽老师创作的《上林追忆》具有开创性意义，在该曲的演奏中，瓯乐终于成了整体规模的半壁江山，瓯乐的基本特性也逐渐显露出来。该曲在宁波市、省等各个级别的演出活动中，都获得了观众好评，赢得了不少奖项。丁钊年回忆说：“虽然瓯乐取得了一定突破，获得了观众的肯定，但成绩的取得，也给当时所有的人一种瓯乐离不开民乐的思维错觉。瓯乐的发展，依然在绕圈，没有预想的进步快。”
2006年下半年，慈溪民族乐团邀请到总政歌舞团的作曲家、打击乐演奏家张仰胜来创作适合瓯乐的曲子，期待在演奏形式和样板上有所突破。丁钊年向笔者说，当时参与青瓷瓯乐探索的专家都非常敬业。张仰胜老师平时工作忙，有时候北京的演出刚结束，就带着演出服连夜赶飞机到慈溪。获得“群星奖”的《越瓷风》中那段热烈而激扬的“打花瓶”更是反复排练过程中出现的神来之笔。《越瓷风》这首欢腾奔放的青瓷瓯乐作品征服了评委，当之无愧地获得全国群众文化最高政府奖“群星奖”。因为《越瓷风》创造的全新演出样式，使得瓯乐这味原来的“调味剂”变成了不可替代的民乐演出主角，也证明了瓯乐乐器可以独立演奏。于是，经过精心研究与摸索，烧制出可用于演奏的青瓷乐器，如越鼓、越杯、越铃、越钟、瓷瓯、瓷鼓、瓷埙、鸟哨等，形成了越瓯、编钟、瓷鼓及吹奏等四个系列20多个品种。以《越瓷风》为代表的一批作品的打响，预示着越窑青瓷瓯乐在失传千年之后，又得以新生。
老团长眼里的瓯乐“新生代”
从慈溪越剧团，到慈溪民族乐团，再到慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团，陈珊岳可以算得上名副其实的“老团长”了。与笔者说到自己钟爱的青瓷瓯乐艺术团，“老团长”可谓如数家珍。
被评为1998年全国十大考古新发现的慈溪上林湖寺龙口窑址的发掘，揭开了再现千年唐宋越窑瓯乐的序幕。2002年，瓯乐合奏曲《九秋风露越窑开》参加浙江省民族器乐大赛，获得表演金奖、创作银奖；2005年，赴香港展演，赢得满堂喝彩；2007年，又到宝岛台湾交流演出，饮誉而归；同年，青瓷瓯乐《越瓷风》以全省第一的名次参加在武汉举行的第八届全国艺术节，一举夺得“全国群星大奖”和“群星创作奖”，受到浙江省人民政府的通报表彰和嘉奖。接着，青瓷瓯乐《越瓷风》晋京参加“迎奥运专题演出”65场，《人民日报》《光明日报》《中国文化报》等国内外58家媒体作了专门报道。中央电视台国际频道用英语、法语、西班牙语等三种语言全年向海外介绍青瓷瓯乐及其作品。“越窑青瓷瓯乐已经成为慈溪一个亮丽的地方文化品牌。”说到这里，老陈一脸自豪。当他谈起瓯乐艺术代有传人时更是充满着自信。
20岁的程倩从安徽艺术学院戏剧系毕业不久，清秀而带着稚气。她作为慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团新一代演员，从黄山脚下黄梅戏之乡来到东海之滨千年瓯乐的发源地。“我5岁开始学拉二胡，第一次来慈溪，也是第一次听说青瓷瓯乐。”自从来到第二故乡，小姑娘便投入了自己既熟悉又陌生的练功之中。“我原来用惯了二胡、板胡，现今我改用独一无二的‘瓯胡’，听起来音质更深沉，更有一种历史沧桑感。”
车艺，二十出头，祖籍河南，武汉音乐学院扬琴专业毕业，也是新进青瓷瓯乐艺术团的“新生代”。
“我要成为扬琴演奏的全国第一很难很难，但是我也许可以成为瓯乐演奏的全国第一。”来自河南焦作的车艺，在笔者面前显得信心十足。上个月，乐团特邀的上海音乐学院著名教授何占豪现场教导的一席话，让这位自幼在黄河岸边长大的姑娘有了努力的目标。笔者在排演现场看到，由２０只青瓷器皿组成的一套瓯乐器具，在演员灵巧的敲击下发出阵阵悦耳的声响，站在一排排林立的乐架前感觉青瓷乐器竟然与著名的编钟有异曲同工之妙。
陈珊岳这位“老团长”向笔者自豪地说，一台大型瓯乐音画《上林瓷风》以千年青瓷文化发展历史为主线，综合运用瓯乐、舞蹈、诗歌、美术等多种艺术元素，在慈溪文化艺术节开幕式上首演后，2010年的上海世界博览会上，也响起了来自东海之滨的“天籁之音”。□
Celadon Gives New Sounds to Music
By Zhang Ruihua, Zhao Ke, Sun Yundong
In December 1989, the 45-year-old Zhang Junli became fascinated by more than 100 celadon musical instruments unearthed in Cixi, his hometown in eastern Zhejiang Province. The instruments were not found at the same time. Archaeologists first found a single porcelain mystery. They did not know what it was. The object was narrow and long and hollow with two ends on each side open. Then archaeologists excavated a celadon bell.
Zhang was taking a college course of liberal arts at that time. So he browsed Tang poems for an answer to these mysterious celadon musical instruments. He chose Tang poems as a way to make a breakthrough simply because Cixi served as a departure point of what is now known as Porcelain Road of Tang (618-907). His research confirms that the Shanglin Lake in Cixi is the departure point of the Porcelain Road that started in Cixi and went all the way to Europe more than 1,200 years ago.
Zhang and his colleagues decided to reproduce the celadon musical instruments. They studied ancient texts and compared them with the unearthed relics. With the help of a celadon research institute in Cixi, they successfully made 40 some celadon musical instruments. Then Zhang and his colleagues composed some musical pieces on the regional tunes popular in Ningbo. They organized a musical band to play these pieces on the celadon musical instruments. The pieces they play include modern melodies as well as ancient classic tunes.
In the summer of 2003, the celadon orchestra participated in a musical festival in France. The orchestra of 45 musicians staged three performances in France. The celadon music was sensational. Their performance in a French town was scheduled for 45 minutes, but the celadon musicians came back to the stage to perform more pieces. Seventy minutes passed before they ended the performance to a long standing ovation.
Many people have contributed to the success of the celadon music. Ding Zhaonian is now the art director of the celadon orchestra. Born in 1966, he became a drummer at Cixi Yueju Opera Troupe in 1978. He did not like the musical sounds of celadon at first, thinking it monotonous and dry. After Cixi Folk Music Ensemble came into being in 2001, Ding became a member of the troupe. Some celadon music was in the repertoire. Gradually he became interested in the celadon music and tried to do something about it.
The first breakthrough came in 2004. Liu Jiankuan, a composer of Zhejiang Little Hundred Flowers Yueju Opera Troupe, composed “Memories of Shanglin Lake”. The composer created special parts for celadon instruments in the folk music symphony. It was the first time that celadon music was widely recognized and became gradually popular as the piece was staged across Ningbo and Zhejiang.
Another breakthrough came in 2006. Zhang Yangsheng, a composer and percussionist with the PLA song and dance ensemble, was engaged to create a piece of celadon music. He created “Winds of Yue Celadon”, a percussion music piece, and rehearsed with the celadon orchestra. The breakthrough performance won the Constellation Prize, the highest national government award for folk culture and art. With this success, celadon musical instruments came of age. They now play a central role in orchestra music. They do no play a secondary and ornamental part any more.
Today, celadon musical instruments amount to more than 20 in variety and in four different categories. A celadon bell set can play charming music pieces. Celadon drums can be used to perform independent percussion music. String and wind instruments can also be made of celadon.
With the contributions of all these people, the lost art of celadon music has now staged its thrilling comeback. The orchestra has staged various performances at home and abroad. Its unique style and charm have conquered audience and critics. Celadon music has won numerous awards. It is believed the renaissance will open a door to a bright future of the celadon music.□
中国越窑瓯乐倾倒法兰西观众
提起青瓷瓯乐，不得不说章均立。在慈溪，最早开始关注和研究越窑青瓷瓯乐的就是他。在乐团三楼那间略显简陋的办公室，笔者见到了“退而不休”的章均立。谈起自己与瓯乐的不解之缘，年逾六旬的他记忆犹新——
那是1989年，他45岁，从慈溪越剧团的敲鼓岗位，转到慈溪市文物保护管理委员会去做考古工作。“记得是1998年12月下旬一个寒冷的早晨，我与同事们从上林湖寺龙口的发掘处偶然发现一件中间细两头粗的器皿。说是器皿，但两头空空，怎么盛水？紧接着，一只装饰性很强的青瓷钟破土而出。此后，在寺龙口一共挖得了钟、埙、腰鼓、火照、鸟哨等显然是乐器的上百件残件及整件。”
就从那时候开始，正在攻读中文大专的章均立开始从唐诗中寻找答案，因为陶瓷之路始于唐朝。很快，他从大诗人白居易的诗《醉赠刘二十八使者》中找到了佐证：“为我引杯添酒饮，与君把箸击盘歌。”在另一首《敲酒盏唱短歌》中，瓯乐踪迹更加明显：“越器敲来曲调成，腕头句滑间轻清，随风摇曳有余韵，测水浅深多泛声。”几经考证，章均立确证慈溪上林湖为我国古代海上陶瓷之路起点的同时，更是瓯乐乐器的重要烧制场所。他和同事们一边复原考古成果，一边寻根问“书”，不久自发组织的慈溪瓯乐演奏团开始活动了。初创的日子，演奏团整理挖掘已经失传千年的瓯乐，并与慈溪市越窑青瓷研究所密切合作，根据史书记载及考古发现，仿制出了用于演奏的盘、杯、炉盖、腰鼓、火照、埙、鸟哨等40多件瓯乐乐器。同时，他们以流行于宁波三北地区的“姚滩”音乐为素材，写出了《九秋风露越窑开》《丰收锣鼓》等一批作品，还尝试用青瓷排练了《梅花三弄》《春江花月夜》等古典名曲。
2003年夏天，青瓷瓯乐首次走出国门。那年法国的“中国文化年国际乐队艺术节”组委会发来了热情的邀请函。一行45人的中国慈溪瓯乐演奏团在法国的演出大获成功。三场演出场场爆满，令法国观众如痴如醉。1200多年前中国陶瓷从慈溪上林湖经由海上输出运往欧洲，开启了一条“海上陶瓷之路”，如今在法国再度掀动了“雪拉同（青瓷）热”。8月下旬，法国经历着近百年来少有的酷热，但波黑沃城市中心广场仍然挤满了热情的观众，当一排排碗、盅、碟、杯、埙等百余件青瓷器物在演员们手中发出精妙的乐音时，人们欢呼雀跃。三场演出，尤其是乐团在当年海上陶瓷之路终点的法国唐润纳克市的演出，现场观众情绪热烈高涨，演出一结束，他们纷纷走上舞台，小心翼翼地摸摸越窑青瓷，轻轻地击打一下。当他们发现作为乐器的瓷碗里盛着或多或少的清水时，更是惊讶不已，当被告知清水是用来调音时，他们先是诧异万分，然后恍然大悟。异国他乡的观众被来自东方的千年古乐镇住了，当地报纸报道：“源于万里之遥的中国唐宋瓯乐让法兰西观众大开眼界。”
就在那届艺术节上，慈溪市瓯乐演奏团被评为“最佳乐队”。在笔者面前，回忆起在艺术节上的那段表演，章均立至今历历在目：“尤其当演奏起为海上陶瓷之路而作的《九秋风露越窑开》时，盛唐时代的悠扬旋律，上林湖边百窑齐燃的场面被演绎得淋漓尽致，原定45分钟的压轴表演不得不增加到70分钟。”面对着鲜花和掌声，兼任乐团指挥的章均立激动得流下热泪。演出结束，艺术节组委会负责人欣喜地对他竖起了大拇指：“不可思议！不可思议！看似普通的青瓷器皿，竟能奏出如此天籁之音。”
失传千年古老瓯乐得以新生
丁钊年现为慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团总监。他1966年出生，早年在慈溪锦堂师范文艺班学习打鼓，1978年进入慈溪越剧团学打鼓。说起自己的民乐以及瓯乐之路，丁钊年说：“章均立老师和我的父亲给我很大影响。我父亲也是个民乐爱好者，吹拉弹唱样样精通。父亲经常说起，他对民间‘敲碗盏’特别感兴趣，还曾向一位前清老秀才拜师学艺。章均立老师又是现在青瓷瓯乐的开创者之一。两位父辈的遗传和影响，让我走上了青瓷瓯乐的道路。”
从纯音乐的角度来看，瓯乐和成熟的民族乐相比既单一也不悦耳。乐团演奏时，瓯乐就像烧菜用的调味品，还只是一个小配角。在加盟慈溪民族乐团之后，丁钊年开始考虑让瓯乐突破“配角”的角色问题。并想到了用“外脑”进行创作。2004年，浙江小百花越剧团刘建宽老师创作的《上林追忆》具有开创性意义，在该曲的演奏中，瓯乐终于成了整体规模的半壁江山，瓯乐的基本特性也逐渐显露出来。该曲在宁波市、省等各个级别的演出活动中，都获得了观众好评，赢得了不少奖项。丁钊年回忆说：“虽然瓯乐取得了一定突破，获得了观众的肯定，但成绩的取得，也给当时所有的人一种瓯乐离不开民乐的思维错觉。瓯乐的发展，依然在绕圈，没有预想的进步快。”
2006年下半年，慈溪民族乐团邀请到总政歌舞团的作曲家、打击乐演奏家张仰胜来创作适合瓯乐的曲子，期待在演奏形式和样板上有所突破。丁钊年向笔者说，当时参与青瓷瓯乐探索的专家都非常敬业。张仰胜老师平时工作忙，有时候北京的演出刚结束，就带着演出服连夜赶飞机到慈溪。获得“群星奖”的《越瓷风》中那段热烈而激扬的“打花瓶”更是反复排练过程中出现的神来之笔。《越瓷风》这首欢腾奔放的青瓷瓯乐作品征服了评委，当之无愧地获得全国群众文化最高政府奖“群星奖”。因为《越瓷风》创造的全新演出样式，使得瓯乐这味原来的“调味剂”变成了不可替代的民乐演出主角，也证明了瓯乐乐器可以独立演奏。于是，经过精心研究与摸索，烧制出可用于演奏的青瓷乐器，如越鼓、越杯、越铃、越钟、瓷瓯、瓷鼓、瓷埙、鸟哨等，形成了越瓯、编钟、瓷鼓及吹奏等四个系列20多个品种。以《越瓷风》为代表的一批作品的打响，预示着越窑青瓷瓯乐在失传千年之后，又得以新生。
老团长眼里的瓯乐“新生代”
从慈溪越剧团，到慈溪民族乐团，再到慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团，陈珊岳可以算得上名副其实的“老团长”了。与笔者说到自己钟爱的青瓷瓯乐艺术团，“老团长”可谓如数家珍。
被评为1998年全国十大考古新发现的慈溪上林湖寺龙口窑址的发掘，揭开了再现千年唐宋越窑瓯乐的序幕。2002年，瓯乐合奏曲《九秋风露越窑开》参加浙江省民族器乐大赛，获得表演金奖、创作银奖；2005年，赴香港展演，赢得满堂喝彩；2007年，又到宝岛台湾交流演出，饮誉而归；同年，青瓷瓯乐《越瓷风》以全省第一的名次参加在武汉举行的第八届全国艺术节，一举夺得“全国群星大奖”和“群星创作奖”，受到浙江省人民政府的通报表彰和嘉奖。接着，青瓷瓯乐《越瓷风》晋京参加“迎奥运专题演出”65场，《人民日报》《光明日报》《中国文化报》等国内外58家媒体作了专门报道。中央电视台国际频道用英语、法语、西班牙语等三种语言全年向海外介绍青瓷瓯乐及其作品。“越窑青瓷瓯乐已经成为慈溪一个亮丽的地方文化品牌。”说到这里，老陈一脸自豪。当他谈起瓯乐艺术代有传人时更是充满着自信。
20岁的程倩从安徽艺术学院戏剧系毕业不久，清秀而带着稚气。她作为慈溪青瓷瓯乐艺术团新一代演员，从黄山脚下黄梅戏之乡来到东海之滨千年瓯乐的发源地。“我5岁开始学拉二胡，第一次来慈溪，也是第一次听说青瓷瓯乐。”自从来到第二故乡，小姑娘便投入了自己既熟悉又陌生的练功之中。“我原来用惯了二胡、板胡，现今我改用独一无二的‘瓯胡’，听起来音质更深沉，更有一种历史沧桑感。”
车艺，二十出头，祖籍河南，武汉音乐学院扬琴专业毕业，也是新进青瓷瓯乐艺术团的“新生代”。
“我要成为扬琴演奏的全国第一很难很难，但是我也许可以成为瓯乐演奏的全国第一。”来自河南焦作的车艺，在笔者面前显得信心十足。上个月，乐团特邀的上海音乐学院著名教授何占豪现场教导的一席话，让这位自幼在黄河岸边长大的姑娘有了努力的目标。笔者在排演现场看到，由２０只青瓷器皿组成的一套瓯乐器具，在演员灵巧的敲击下发出阵阵悦耳的声响，站在一排排林立的乐架前感觉青瓷乐器竟然与著名的编钟有异曲同工之妙。
陈珊岳这位“老团长”向笔者自豪地说，一台大型瓯乐音画《上林瓷风》以千年青瓷文化发展历史为主线，综合运用瓯乐、舞蹈、诗歌、美术等多种艺术元素，在慈溪文化艺术节开幕式上首演后，2010年的上海世界博览会上，也响起了来自东海之滨的“天籁之音”。□
Celadon Gives New Sounds to Music
By Zhang Ruihua, Zhao Ke, Sun Yundong
In December 1989, the 45-year-old Zhang Junli became fascinated by more than 100 celadon musical instruments unearthed in Cixi, his hometown in eastern Zhejiang Province. The instruments were not found at the same time. Archaeologists first found a single porcelain mystery. They did not know what it was. The object was narrow and long and hollow with two ends on each side open. Then archaeologists excavated a celadon bell.
Zhang was taking a college course of liberal arts at that time. So he browsed Tang poems for an answer to these mysterious celadon musical instruments. He chose Tang poems as a way to make a breakthrough simply because Cixi served as a departure point of what is now known as Porcelain Road of Tang (618-907). His research confirms that the Shanglin Lake in Cixi is the departure point of the Porcelain Road that started in Cixi and went all the way to Europe more than 1,200 years ago.
Zhang and his colleagues decided to reproduce the celadon musical instruments. They studied ancient texts and compared them with the unearthed relics. With the help of a celadon research institute in Cixi, they successfully made 40 some celadon musical instruments. Then Zhang and his colleagues composed some musical pieces on the regional tunes popular in Ningbo. They organized a musical band to play these pieces on the celadon musical instruments. The pieces they play include modern melodies as well as ancient classic tunes.
In the summer of 2003, the celadon orchestra participated in a musical festival in France. The orchestra of 45 musicians staged three performances in France. The celadon music was sensational. Their performance in a French town was scheduled for 45 minutes, but the celadon musicians came back to the stage to perform more pieces. Seventy minutes passed before they ended the performance to a long standing ovation.
Many people have contributed to the success of the celadon music. Ding Zhaonian is now the art director of the celadon orchestra. Born in 1966, he became a drummer at Cixi Yueju Opera Troupe in 1978. He did not like the musical sounds of celadon at first, thinking it monotonous and dry. After Cixi Folk Music Ensemble came into being in 2001, Ding became a member of the troupe. Some celadon music was in the repertoire. Gradually he became interested in the celadon music and tried to do something about it.
The first breakthrough came in 2004. Liu Jiankuan, a composer of Zhejiang Little Hundred Flowers Yueju Opera Troupe, composed “Memories of Shanglin Lake”. The composer created special parts for celadon instruments in the folk music symphony. It was the first time that celadon music was widely recognized and became gradually popular as the piece was staged across Ningbo and Zhejiang.
Another breakthrough came in 2006. Zhang Yangsheng, a composer and percussionist with the PLA song and dance ensemble, was engaged to create a piece of celadon music. He created “Winds of Yue Celadon”, a percussion music piece, and rehearsed with the celadon orchestra. The breakthrough performance won the Constellation Prize, the highest national government award for folk culture and art. With this success, celadon musical instruments came of age. They now play a central role in orchestra music. They do no play a secondary and ornamental part any more.
Today, celadon musical instruments amount to more than 20 in variety and in four different categories. A celadon bell set can play charming music pieces. Celadon drums can be used to perform independent percussion music. String and wind instruments can also be made of celadon.
With the contributions of all these people, the lost art of celadon music has now staged its thrilling comeback. The orchestra has staged various performances at home and abroad. Its unique style and charm have conquered audience and critics. Celadon music has won numerous awards. It is believed the renaissance will open a door to a bright future of the celadon music.□