I just want to live in music and practice for 5 hours every day. Interview with 82 year old pianist Yin Chengzong: Bringing 50 boxes of treasures back to China for piano | China | Pianist

In the life of 82 year old pianist Yin Chengzong, he traveled three times.

The first time was when he was 12 years old. He set off from his birthplace Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, bringing a small old suitcase, an umbrella, and a 25 yuan scholarship from the Xiamen Music Association to study alone in Shanghai. Highways and waterways are often blocked, and one can only take a truck on dirt roads, then transfer to a train, and it takes five days to reach Shanghai. They are extremely dizzy due to motion sickness.

The second time was when he was 18 years old. He set off from Beijing and boarded the last bus to study in the Soviet Union. The train traveled all the way for 8 days, and it only took 3 days to detour around Lake Baikal. From then on, he understood where the long melodies and deep tones in Russian music came from. Two years later, at the age of 20, he won second place in the second Tchaikovsky International Music Competition.

The third time was at the age of 41, when he moved to the United States with his daughter and $60. In a country where there is no language barrier and no one knows one's name, everything starts from scratch and the identity of a pianist is regained. He held 8 concerts at Carnegie Hall, and the audience grew from scratch. While playing works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy, he also performed ancient Chinese songs such as "Spring River Flower and Moonlight Night" on the piano.

Leaving home at a young age, with a journey of mountains and water, Emperor Chengzong of Yin walked through the peaks and valleys of his life. In 2021, at the age of 80, he moved back to his hometown Gulangyu. Although he has often returned to China to perform since 1993, he has indeed returned with two pianos and over 50 suitcases of luggage.

These boxes contain the books, scores, records, and materials he has accumulated for most of his life. Returning with a full load, he not only brought back these precious physical objects, but also his intelligence and experience. He hopes to return to his homeland and unleash all his remaining energy.

Nowadays, Emperor Yin Chengzong practices the piano for four to five hours a day, persistently swimming and lifting dumbbells. In June this year, he was infected with COVID-19, which affected his health. It is hard to imagine that the following month, he performed three heavyweight concerto concerts in just over a dozen days. On the stage of the Shanghai Summer Music Festival, he collaborated with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Huang Yi, to perform his piano concerto "Yellow River", which he created and premiered. This is China's first piano concerto, which accompanied him for most of his life. He has acted in thousands of shows and sold millions of records.

Gray white hair, black Zhongshan suit, collar and pocket towel adorned with a touch of red. He stumbled along the short path from the side platform to the piano, but as he sat in front of the bench, his ten fingers ran rapidly on the black and white keys. The sound of the qin led the audience to the banks of the Yellow River, where they heard the roar of war horses and the roar of giant waves.

Yin Chengzong performs piano concerto "Yellow River" at the closing concert of the Shanghai Summer Music Festival Photographer: Dong Tianye

On such a night, standards such as strength, speed, and accuracy seem to be less important. More importantly, people hear how a pianist and a work can transcend their time, and hear a pure heart that has been baptized by time and has not changed beating.

From Shanghai to the World

From officially embarking on a professional career in Shanghai in 1954 to winning second place in the second Tchaikovsky International Music Competition in 1962, it only took Yin Chengzong 8 years.

These 8 years have been a race against time. Young Emperor Yin Chengzong felt that 24 hours a day was not enough. He is well aware that he started late and has a lot of classes to catch up on. Every weekend, he can practice the piano for 12-14 hours a day and has learned to multitask: while practicing basic piano exercises, he can read while practicing, and even step on the bed to wash his feet.

Provided by Yin Chengzong to interviewees at the 2nd Tchaikovsky International Music Competition

He still remembers that at that time, the dean of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, He Luting, brought back a copy of Negoz's "On Piano Performance Art". Chapter 1 talked about the relationship between the purpose and means of performance: music is expressed through skills, but without emotions and thoughts, there is no music. This has benefited him for a lifetime.

Looking at the news: Returning to Gulangyu Island, what is your daily life like?

Yin Chengzong: I now live in the house where I was born. It was built in 1924, almost 100 years old, but after repair, it has been well preserved. There is a large hall in the house that can accommodate over 100 people. When I was a child, there were many music enthusiasts on Gulangyu Island, and there were often family concerts. After returning to China, I was unable to perform due to the impact of the epidemic at first, so I held a family concert at home.

I still practice the piano every day. If you want to go on stage, not practicing the piano is not enough. The older you get, the more you need to practice and resist aging, otherwise it will deteriorate quickly. Of course, it's not possible now to practice for more than ten hours like before, and the doctor keeps asking me to rest.

Looking at the news: At your age, your physical functions will inevitably decline, and your technology will definitely not be as good as the golden age. Why do you still insist on taking the stage? Have you ever had any concerns?

Emperor Yin Chengzong: Many people advised me not to take the stage again, or asked me to bring music scores on stage, because my physical strength and memory are declining. But I feel like I can still do it now. After so many years, I have gained a deeper understanding of music, and I am unwilling to give up. I am still pursuing new things.

Some people also advised me that just playing "The Yellow River" is enough, so it would be easier. But last month, I persisted in playing the concerto of Mozart and Rachmaninov. To play "The Yellow River" well, one must play many other works to gain nourishment. I am glad that many viewers have said that I am playing differently than before and have heard something deeper.

On the news: In the spring of 1950, at the age of 9, you held your first concert on Gulangyu Island, and over 300 tickets were sold out, earning your siblings enough tuition and miscellaneous expenses. What impact did that concert have on your later musical journey?

9-year-old Yin Chengzong held his first solo concert on Gulangyu Island, provided by interviewees

Yin Chengzong: At that time, I was young and a bit ignorant and fearless. Looking back now, that solo concert was like a microcosm, destined to be what I wanted to do in my life.

I have played works by Schubert and Chopin, as well as four Chinese works that I have adapted myself, including "The Sky in the Liberated Areas" and "Unity is Strength". There are both Western classics and Chinese works. I think when I was 9 years old, I knew very well that I had been studying music all my life. Anyway, as long as I can play the piano, I will always be with the piano.

Shangkan News: You said you started late. When you were admitted to the Affiliated High School of Music, out of over 2000 candidates, you actually won the top spot.

Yin Chengzong: Gulangyu Island is a cradle of music, and Western music is very popular here. When I was a child, I could sing over 300 hymns. Later, I went to St. Petersburg for a harmony class, and in my second class, the teacher said I didn't need to learn because harmony is all in hymns.

But when I came from Gulangyu to get into Yinfu Middle School, I was quite nervous because I heard that Shanghai has a very high level of proficiency. I accidentally received a recruitment brochure, which is a college entrance exam brochure, so all the songs I prepared were based on the standards for college entrance exams. It was more than enough for me to pass the entrance exam at Affiliated Middle School, and I scored 98 points in the end.

Looking at the news: What was the learning life in Shanghai at that time?

Yin Chengzong: I remember being poor at that time, and only spending 1.5 cents to buy straw as a mattress. The straw fell onto the lower bunk, and the students reported it to the teacher. I don't sleep in the dormitory during the summer. I often make a mat and a floor in the piano room. At that time, there was no phone call, so when I wrote a letter and went home for a long time, I was completely focused on practicing the piano.

What was the biggest gain during my studies at Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Central Conservatory of Music?

Yin Chengzong: The first stop after leaving home is Shanghai. I understand very well that if I hadn't taken this step, I might have been an amateur piano enthusiast forever.

Shanghai has opened up my horizons, and I have listened to many concerts here. Two months after coming to Shanghai, I was selected by Soviet expert Xie Luofu to join the expert class, and I was the only high school student in the class. Later, I followed several Soviet experts back and forth at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Central Conservatory of Music, and also learned from Chinese teachers such as Ma Sisun and Wu Leyi. Thanks to these strict teachers, I laid a solid foundation before the age of 15.

On the news: In St. Petersburg, how did you gradually learn Russian music and delve into its essence?

Yin Chengzong: When we went, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union had already broken down, but Soviet experts had worked in China for several years and were still relatively good to us. My teacher, Kravchenko, is good at inspiring students with music content and imagery. She has opened up an endless treasure trove of music for me.

Later on, I often went to Russia for performances. Some people say, am I going to Russia to make money? I say I'm going to earn inspiration. There are museums all over the place, and art education is very popular. Music, painting, and dance are very splendid.

But every time I say that I am a pianist trained by the Russian school, I always say that what supports me is actually Chinese culture. I have learned a lot of Chinese ethnic music, and we have a cultural history of five thousand years behind us. On this basis, I will further absorb the strengths of various schools of thought, such as the Italian and French schools, and continuously absorb them in order to become more and more diverse.

Finding a way out for the piano

Since 1958, there has been a "theory of the demise of the piano" in society, which believes that the piano is Western and bourgeois, cannot serve the working class, and should be smashed. Many piano learners have switched careers, and the piano is becoming increasingly neglected.

At the age of 25, Yin Chengzong and several friends spontaneously moved a piano to Tiananmen Square and performed it for three consecutive days, playing familiar songs and Peking Opera. More and more people gathered around the piano, making him gradually believe that there will be a way out for the piano in China.

Later, Yin Chengzong created China's first piano concerto "Yellow River" and also adapted some ancient Chinese songs into piano pieces. He constantly tries to prove that the piano can speak Chinese and serve the Chinese people.

In 1963, Mao Zedong received interviewees from Yin Chengzong and provided

Looking at the news: I have watched your video of premiering "Yellow River" in 1970. At that time, you were wearing a Zhongshan suit, with sharp eyes and powerful fingertips, sweeping across thousands of troops. More than half a century has passed, what is different from playing "The Yellow River" now?

In 1970, Yin Chengzong performed a video screenshot of "The Yellow River"

Emperor Yin Chengzong: Actually, there won't be much change, except for the look in his eyes back then. At that time, when I was young, playing had a sense of the times. But after playing for over 50 years, it settled down.

The Yellow River depicts the 5000 year history of China. The first movement, "The Yellow River Boatman's Song," depicts the Chinese people's spirit of hard work. The second movement, "Ode to the Yellow River," stands on the Loess Plateau, watching a series of nine songs, including many heroes and history. Before the end of the second movement, the melody of "March of the Volunteers" appeared on the brass.

At that time, China was very poor, and when we created, we hoped that China would "stand up". Now it's different. China has already "stood up", become "rich" and "strong", so there will be corresponding changes in emotional processing when playing.

The third movement "Yellow River Anger" depicts the reality of China under iron hooves, changing from the melody of "Yellow River Ballad" to the accusation of "Yellow River Anger". This movement uses many ethnic tunes and Beijing opera rhythms. Only by understanding this context can we understand the fourth movement representing the future, "Defending the Yellow River," where thousands of soldiers and horses go to the battlefield together to welcome victory. "The Yellow River" is unfinished, and in the end, all the speed does not slow down, giving a feeling of constantly moving forward.

Yin Chengzong performs piano concerto "Yellow River" at the closing concert of the Shanghai Summer Music Festival Photographer: Dong Tianye

Looking at the news: "The Yellow River" has been around for over half a century. What do you think is the most important reason why it has been passed down to this day?

Yin Chengzong: "The Yellow River" is written for the Chinese people. To make them understand, I think this is cultural confidence. The Yellow River is a collective creation, where everyone contributes their strengths. Its success, I believe, should be attributed to its creative ideas. Instruments and techniques are just forms, and most importantly, music.

I think the best way to determine whether a work can stay or be good is through time. We didn't expect that this work would continue to spread today and have been broadcasted and performed in over 50 countries around the world. What impressed me the most was that there was an audience in Australia who was very excited after hearing "The Yellow River", saying that it was like hearing Beethoven's works, hearing inspiration and power.

Shangkan News: During the performance of "The Yellow River" in Shanghai, you replaced the trumpet in the band with a suona. Why?

Yin Chengzong: I have collaborated with Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Singapore Chinese Orchestra several times on "The Yellow River", and I think the suona has a special local flavor when it comes out. For example, at the beginning of the first movement, the suona plays the boatman's horn, which immediately takes people to the Loess Plateau. The melody of "Dongfang Hong" in the fourth movement is originally a folk song from northern Shaanxi. When the suona is played, it rises like a sun from the Loess Plateau, showcasing a national spirit.

Yin Chengzong performs piano concerto "Yellow River" at the closing concert of the Shanghai Summer Music Festival Photographer: Dong Tianye

From "Red Lantern" to "Yellow River", how did you combine piano and Peking Opera?

Yin Chengzong: The piano is really different from Peking Opera by a hundred or eight thousand miles. No one expected it to be placed together, but I really went to learn it. I went to the theater school to find a teacher and sat in the music pool for a month. It took me 8 months to memorize all the lines and all the gongs and drums.

After entering, I feel that Chinese culture is very brilliant. At that time, I learned a lot from my teacher Fu. There is a great deal of knowledge in traditional Chinese opera, which requires dedicated effort to learn. Only after mastering it can you adapt and innovate.

I first used the collaboration between Peking Opera and the piano to introduce the piano to the common people, which led to the creation of "Red Lantern". But in order for the piano to truly stand in China, we need our own concerto, which is why "The Yellow River" came into being. I am very proud that many Chinese people know about the piano and have discovered its great charm, starting from "Red Lantern" and "Yellow River", which have driven the trend of piano in China.

Looking at the news: Your life has also experienced ups and downs. How did you get through the toughest times?

Emperor Yin Chengzong: We cannot choose the era, we can only choose to do the right thing. Honor or setbacks are all experiences, and these experiences will be reflected in the creation of a musician. I think the simplest and most important thing is to love. Not only love, but also love passionately.

Learning the piano may be difficult for some, but you need to understand what you feel in music, so you won't feel the pain anymore. This persistence has now integrated into my life. For decades, I have been fortunate to have persevered in any situation.

Living in my favorite music

In the era when the piano was despised and neglected, Yin Chengzong made many efforts to popularize the piano. But as the piano became increasingly "hot" and there were more and more people learning it, he began to "dissuade" those who came to him to learn it.

In his opinion, the current "piano craze" is too utilitarian. The purpose of many people learning the piano is to earn money by winning awards. And there are actually very few people who can truly become professional performers and rely on playing to support themselves. Many parents believe that their children learn to play the piano by playing it or forcing it out, but in reality, it will only create a group of children who both learn music and hate it.

He believes that the most important thing is not to learn the piano, but to understand music.

Looking at the news: You have taught many excellent students, and I am curious. Did your daughter learn to play the piano when she was a child?

Yin Chengzong: My daughter learned to play the piano at the age of 14. At that time, my students often lived with me, and when my daughter saw them all doing very well, she felt that her passion and talent were not here, so she decided to give up. I didn't force her to choose her own path freely, because I knew that if she didn't like it, nothing could be done well, and in the end, she wouldn't be happy.

She has a strong personality and is very independent. She said, "Life is too short, you have to do what you love." Later, she was admitted to Yale University and started studying politics. Later, she wanted to study law, constantly exploring and searching. Finally, she found out that she likes modern dance and is now engaged in a career related to art.

The two actors I pay more attention to now are Zhu Yilong and Song Jia, both of whom have studied music since childhood. You see there are so many handsome guys among the actors, but Zhu Yilong's acting is quite different. I can see the inner feelings of his character, and I think it's related to his childhood learning to play the piano.

Looking at the news: Unexpectedly, you are still following Zhu Yilong.

Yin Chengzong: Although I am already in my eighties, I am still quite concerned about the dynamics of society and the movements of young people.

Watch the news: This may also be your secret to staying young.

Yin Chengzong: I feel like I still have energy and there is still a lot I want to do. At least I can communicate more with young people and perform more on stage.

On the news: At the Shanghai Summer Music Festival, you added a song called "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night". You once said that compared to "The Yellow River", solo playing such ancient music is more difficult. Why?

Yin Chengzong: When playing "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night", one needs to use the piano to simulate the sound of Chinese instruments such as xiao, guqin, zheng, and drum. There are many exquisite playing methods, but the most important thing is to pay attention to charm. If traditional Chinese opera and ancient Chinese opera are separated from rhythm, they lose their soul. During performance, it is important to grasp the emotions of the work and handle it appropriately and appropriately. Performance skills must be the means, music is the end.

In the 1970s, we adapted many ancient Chinese songs, and these ancient songs have also been preserved today. What we are doing is actually throwing bricks and jade, hoping that young people today can come forward and create more excellent Chinese piano works. They are young and have good skills.

Nowadays, we are all talking about "world languages", but I think we cannot lose our own language. We must still adhere to the Chinese nation's own things and absorb different languages on this basis. Regardless of the form of this Western musical instrument, it ultimately needs to be used in China and the past for the present.

In 1973, Yin Chengzong and conductor Abado collaborated with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and interviewees provided

Looking at the news: In the first few years of coming to the United States, it seems that you didn't have much opportunity to act in Chinese works. How did you gradually make the audience accept it later on?

Yin Chengzong: Actually, during my first performance in the United States, I wanted to play Chinese works, but my agent didn't allow me to play at that time. He said, first you play foreign works well and the audience recognizes you, then go play Chinese things. At that time, China's economic strength and international status were incomparable to what they are now, and were viewed as very low.

In 1996, I performed "Ambush on Ten Sides" and "Moonlit Night on the Spring River" for the first time at Carnegie Hall in New York. The audience received enthusiastic feedback, and the American media praised "Ambush on Ten Sides" as "China's first rhapsody".

I have acted in two sets of "Four Seasons" and it was very popular. One set is Tchaikovsky's "Four Seasons", and the other is an adaptation of Chinese ancient music called "Four Seasons", from "Spring River Flower Moonlit Night" to "Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix", then to "Autumn Moon on Pinghu", and finally to "Plum Blossom Three Allees".

When performing Chinese works overseas, foreign audiences often find them curious and fresh. Many people think it is Debussy's work, which is very freehand, like Chinese landscape painting contrasting with French Impressionism.

On the news: You have always said that in order to establish a Chinese piano school, good works are needed. What kind of works do you think can go global?

Yin Chengzong: Nowadays, China has cultivated many excellent pianists, and their performance skills have improved a lot, but good works are still not enough. I have always believed that Russia has its own piano school, which produced so many great composers, and finally truly rose in the 20th century. China needs to have its own school of thought, which requires a large number of works to be produced. Firstly, it needs to be liked and accepted by the Chinese people, with Chinese national characteristics. To move the world, we must first move ourselves.

Watch the news: How old do you want to play on stage?

Yin Chengzong: You can play as long as you can. This time we rehearsed with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, but we still spent a lot of time digging through many details. Even if a piece of music is played a thousand times, the art is endless, and there are still many areas worth pondering.