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Music to soothe the soul 

Feature | Music
2011-12-18

THE pure and lingering melodies of the guqin (plucked seven-stringed instrument) are said to still the mind and calm the soul. The 3,000-year-old ancient instrument plays a key part in Chinese intellectual history...

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Music crashes through cultural barriers 

Feature | Music
2011-12-10

WHERE does music come from? I had a recent conversation with a music promoter who was disappointed that many Chinese musicians do not incorporate enough of their cultural heritage into their sound. There is...

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Music to celebrate the new year 

Feature | Music
2011-12-3

TWO classical music concerts and one piano recital, all by noted Europeans, will be staged in Shanghai to celebrate the new year. On January 1, French pianist Richard Clayderman will perform at the Shanghai Grand...

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Making way for Mahler's magic 

Feature | Music
2011-10-23

THIS year marks the 100th anniversary of Mahler's birth and many concerts of his works have been staged worldwide. Two more are coming up in Shanghai, one of them tomorrow. Famous adagios from Mahler's symphonies...

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Tower of Power has got the funk 

Feature | Music
2011-10-15

WHILE all the regular music venues will be rolling along with full, solid schedules this weekend, the super cool JZ Music Festival will be landing its mother-ship of jazz and funk over at Expo Garden Park in Pudong....

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New efforts to revive old arts 

Feature | Music
2011-10-9

TRADITIONAL operas have been losing audience for years, and theaters are trying to woo young fans to stay afloat. Since few performance troupes of traditional theater receive state support and funding, they now...

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Putting pizzazz into storytelling 

Feature | Music
2011-10-9

ANCIENT stories are the stuff of 'pingtan' musical storytelling, but there's a modern show on October 8 about the Revolution of 1911 and fresh stories about land grabs and teen cyber crime to hook young spectators....

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Jazzing up Shanghai with global vibe 

Feature | Music
2011-10-8

IT will be jazz, jazz, jazz from October 15 through the end of the month with the annual JZ Festival and concerts indoors, outdoors and jamming around town. The JZ Festival, running from October 15 through 23,...

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'Kiss Me, Kate' a rollicking musical 

Feature | Music
2011-9-24

AN Australian production of "Kiss Me, Kate," the famous 1948 Broadway musical, will be staged from next Wednesday to October 3 at the renovated People Grand Theater. Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate," which is now...

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Hisaishi's songs are dreamlike 

Feature | Music
2011-9-17

JAPANESE composer Joe Hisaishi is known for his work on film scores, especially in collaboration with animation master Hayao Miyazaki. Totoro Band will perform 13 of Hisaishi's songs next Sunday at Shanghai Oriental...

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Music festival offers a stellar lineup 

Feature | Music
2011-9-17

THE first Black Rabbit Music Festival will take place today in Beijing and move to Shanghai tomorrow. The performers include Chinese and international bands - from arena rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars and American...

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My existential music crisis in Fukuoka 

Feature | Music
2011-9-10

THIS past weekend my love of rock music was shaken. I was left in an existential crisis, pawing for meaning in a sea of guitar noise and bass waves. Why you ask? Japan. I had the privilege to DJ a pair of shows...

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Online videos next frontier 

Feature | Music
2011-9-2

ONLINE videos are hot, especially since the boundaries are blurring between what you can see in film, TV, on cell phones and on the Internet. Xu Wei picks up on the latest offering from the Chopstick Brothers. You...

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Fans keen on James Blunt concert 

Feature | Music
2011-8-19

ENGLISH singer-songwriter James Blunt not only will bring hits like "You're Beautiful" to his Sunday solo concert in Shanghai at the Mercedes-Benz Arena but also, security permitting, some stunning stage effects in...

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Delving into treasure trove of CDs 

Feature | Music
2011-8-18

THE medium is the message," said Marshall McLuhan, and the medium is dusty, very. Among other things, fairy powder of the archaic fills the air at the Shijiu Jiancai Market (58 Yejiazhai Road). The market is home...