Cellist Wu Minzhe pursues "unity of human and piano", and Italy's century old famous piano drifts across the sea

How does the encounter between a famous qin and a performer generate a chemical reaction that transcends time and space?

A cello made by Italian piano master Romeo Antoniazi in 1918, which crossed the sea to China two years ago. This is a cello with a story, which has been used by musicians from the Italian Scala Theatre Orchestra and the Venice Phoenix Opera Symphony Orchestra for over 100 years, and has also been borrowed by many well-known performers. Fortunately, after a long period of baptism, it still maintains a good state and sound quality. Three months ago, this piano was lent by the Yu Art Foundation to Wu Minzhe, the chief cellist of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, for use.

The first time he met this cello, Wu Minzhe was deeply impressed by it. "It's good, hard to describe in words, and once pulled over, it becomes addictive. It's very 'sophisticated', and you can feel that it's alive. Fortunately, it has gone through a lot over the past century, but there are no signs of repair on the piano body, indicating that it has always been well protected. Its high notes are bright and low notes are rich, and every sound zone is very outstanding."

A cello produced by Italian piano master Romeo Antoniazi in 1918

Over the past three months, Wu Minzhe has carefully stored this cello in a constant temperature box, with a humidity of 60 and a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. "The connection between people and the piano is very important. If you don't treat it well, it won't trust you." Wu Minzhe practices the piano for three hours every day, spending time alone with this "new friend" and getting along with each other. "Three months is still too little time, it would be best to have about a year to break in and gradually pursue the realm of 'harmony between humans and the qin'. The qin has its own personality, and you must gradually understand and adapt to it in order to release its best sound quality." With a good horse and saddle, Wu Minzhe used a bow made by Swiss pianist Pierre Ive Fox, which has a history of more than 300 years.

On the evening of September 2nd, Wu Minzhe will make his debut with this precious cello at the Shanghai Symphony Concert Hall Performance Hall, bringing a solo concert called "String Piano Coincidentally" on the occasion of his 20th anniversary of his career. He will perform two pieces of "G minor Cello Sonata" by Rachmaninov and Chopin, with young teacher Cao Yufan from Shanghai Conservatory of Music serving as piano accompaniment. He will also collaborate with Chen Qu, the principal of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, on Gordon Sherwood's "Double Bass".

The four words "string qin occasionally" remind people of Li Yu's "Idle Love Occasionally Sending" in the Qing Dynasty. May music be like words, fresh and timeless, with a moving and captivating melody.

Wu Minzhe, Chief Cello Officer of Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra

From piano to cello, use a calm mind to direct hands

The cello was not Wu Minzhe's first musical instrument to learn. He started learning piano at the age of 3 and studied under piano educators Wang Yu and Sheng Yiqi. At the age of 10, while studying at Shangyin Affiliated Primary School, he was selected by cello educator Lin Yingrong and carefully trained as a "closed door disciple". Lin Yingrong's selection of apprentices is very strict, and one of the standards is that he must have a good foundation in piano. This way, the intonation is good, the finger function is good, and learning the cello is fast.

The first time I saw Lin Yingrong, a student was playing the piano, and Wu Minzhe was instantly attracted by the sound of the cello. Teacher Lin asked him if he liked it, and he nodded repeatedly. Although he has been studying piano for seven years, he resolutely decided to start learning cello from scratch.

Starting at the age of 10, Wu Minzhe started later than others, and could only cram for basic skills. For a long time, he only played scales, arpeggios, diphthongs, and etudes, which was very boring. "At that time, there was no air conditioning in the piano room in the summer, and the electric fan could not be turned on because it would affect the fluctuation of the piano sound. So, I could only put a piece of ice in the piano room and still sweat profusely while practicing."

Wu Minzhe on stage

Subsequently, Wu Minzhe became the first student of cellist Cao Min after returning from overseas. "Teacher Cao taught me many advanced methods and concepts, which have benefited me greatly. He taught me to respect music, use a calm mind to direct my hands, and show delicate emotions in music."

After returning from studying abroad in Switzerland, Wu Minzhe joined the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and grew into the chief cellist in just six years. As the chief, he serves as a bridge between the conductor and the cello voice. He was also obsessed with chamber music and formed the Shanghai New Music Troupe with Wang Zhijiong, Huang Mengla, and others, as well as the "Pin" Trio with Cui Lan and others. His favorite thing is to rehearse with like-minded friends and immerse himself in music.

Wu Minzhe and His Cello

From Chopin to Rach, two "G minor" plays together

At the "String Qin Occasionally" solo concert, Wu Minzhe chose two pieces of "Cello Sonata in G minor", one from Rachmaninov and the other from Chopin.

Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata in G minor was created in 1901. Previously, his First Symphony suffered a failed premiere, putting him in a psychological crisis and a creative freeze. After stepping out of the haze, Rachmaninov created a number of important works, including "Cello Sonata in G minor", which is full of romance and sadness.

Chopin's "Cello Sonata in G minor" was created between 1846 and 1847. "I wrote a little, but crossed out a lot. Sometimes I was very satisfied, sometimes I was very dissatisfied, and I kept throwing it away and picking it up again." When he created this work, the composer was weak and ended his last love affair. The notes in his writing were sad and affectionate.

Wu Minzhe on stage

In a solo concert, performers tend to choose works with significant stylistic differences. On the one hand, they are afraid of audience aesthetic fatigue, and on the other hand, they can also demonstrate the performer's ability to handle works with different styles. Why choose two cello sonatas in G minor at the same concert? Wu Minzhe said, "I have heard these two works presented one after another at the same concert, and that concert excited my nerves and made my hair stand on end. Believe me, just listening to one will not satisfy you."

This year marks Wu Minzhe's 20th year as a professional performer, and this solo concert will be a brand new starting point. When rehearsing for the solo concert, he found that his focus was no longer just on himself, but on how to achieve a tacit understanding with the piano. "The piano part of these two works is very difficult, and my experience of learning piano back then gave me a lot of help, making me better understand how to converse with the piano. After playing in a symphony orchestra for so many years, the most important growth is learning how to cooperate with people. Music is a language, and the most important thing is to understand each other's hearts and minds."

After his Shanghai debut, Wu Minzhe will also tour cities such as Shenzhen, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Hefei, and Nanjing to continue his music journey.