An Impression of the Pipa
with Samuel Wong Shengmiao

By Cindy Lee• Urbanwire
• email reporter • email story • printer friendly version •

There are several things about this audio book that make it remarkable:
- 5 of the 6 musical tracks are among the most technically demanding pieces written for the pipa, a major plucked instrument in Chinese orchestras, which you learn is not even Chinese in origin,
- all the classical pieces and interviews of the player were recorded in just 24 hours over 6 days,
- it features possibly one of the most lauded young players of the instrument in Singapore and
- the book's primarily in English, a godsend to an audience that has had little access to the history, techniques and artistry behind this beautiful music maker.

Samuel Wong’s credentials make it easy to accept this book’s authority. Besides winning accolades in competitions, including the top spot in Singapore’s National Chinese Music Competition twice and having studied under respected tutors locally and in China’s Central Conservatory of Music, he launched his first book, Impressions of a Pipa Player, just 4 months before.

That 216-page tome featured interviews with 21 of the world’s premier pipa players, teachers and composers, and has received notice in the international music community, being reviewed favorably in foreign journals.

For obvious reasons, this new CD-sized, hard cover book, accompanied by a 13-track compact disc, will touch the modern English-educated reader in ways that one never could. The limitation of the written word is that it you only imagine the sounds, even if they have been described eloquently and poetically by the recent Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) graduate as “needles being shot into the air, only to disappear in mid-flight”.

In this new book, the differences in techniques, and nuances of intricate melodies discussed in an easy conversation between Anita Kuan, a broadcasting veteran and radio lecturer in NP, and Samuel himself, can actually be heard.

If there is one flaw of the book it’s that Samuel’s voice sometimes lacks the passion he so evidently feels for his music. But that’s exactly what being bone tired can do to your voice and energy levels, all to be expected, given how quickly all this was rushed out. The honesty and realism that is achieved make up for this shortcoming.
As beautiful as the pipa sounds, the collaborations with other instruments enhance the experience. Gu zheng, er hu and a Turkish percussion instrument (the darrbuka) are featured, the last proving an unlikely but mesmerising accompaniment. Their “live” renditions of “Dance of the Yi Tribe”, a modern (ie. 1960s) piece, which combines the lyricism of the civil pieces with the forcefulness of the martial ones that he also demonstrated in the CD, never fail to bring audiences to their feet.

It helps that the melody is also familiar to Chinese pop fans, who may recall that a song “999 roses” was shamelessly ripped off from this. Just to hear this rousing delivery is reason enough to buy the book.

An Impression of the Pipa retails at $16 and is not available in stores yet. Contact Mr Desmond Kon at dek@np.edu.sg to purchase An Impression of the Pipa.
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