The erhu, which has become synonymous with Chinese culture since it came into existence centuries ago, is an instrument that most of us will be familiar with. But its more recently created counterpart, the shaoqin, is one that not as many are acquainted with yet. 

The shaoqin, an invention of erhu virtuoso George Gao, takes the foundation laid by the erhu and builds on it, opening up new possibilities for musicians and ensuring the continuous growth of Chinese music. 

Given its desire to explore new frontiers and bring innovative experiences to its audiences, it is no wonder that the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) has chosen to cast the spotlight on the shaoqin at its upcoming Forging Ahead concert. Set to feature SCO's Associate Conductor, Moses Gay, alongside Gao, the event's guest performer, the event will be a space where guests can encounter the unique instrument through live performances of pieces that reflect the SCO's forward-looking approach towards making music.

One highlight that concert-goers can look forward to is the world premiere of the Chinese orchestra version of Gao's 'Capriccio 6 - Shaoyin', which, according to Gay, has become increasingly popular among younger musicians.

Another highlight would be the Singapore debut of Chinese composer Wang Danhong's 'Four Seasons in Lingering Garden', a "fast" and "trendy" piece whose inclusion is further proof that the SCO is not content with staying stagnant and is constantly on the lookout for ways to bring Chinese orchestral music to new audiences.

In an interview with Bandwagon in the lead-up to Forging Ahead, Gay recalled what inspired him while he was curating the concert, talked about teaming up with Gao, and shared what he has learnt in the time that he has spent as a conductor.

Hi, Moses! What's a typical rehearsal day like for you? Aside from the actual rehearsals, do you have any other preparations for your upcoming Forging Ahead show?

For me, a typical rehearsal day starts at 9 AM and ends at 1 PM. After that, sometimes I will need to attend internal meetings. And when there are none, I will just study scores for the next day. 

Because every rehearsal is a try-out for me, after the first rehearsal, I might have some ideas to try on the second rehearsal, and then so on and so forth for the third and the fourth. I'm always constantly reflecting and constantly trying to think of how to create a better sound and experience for our audience to listen to. If the feeling calls for it, I might tweak the tempo and overall dynamics a little.

You will be teaming up with renowned erhu artist George Gao on stage at the show. How did you come to know him personally prior to working on Forging Ahead?

I first met him when he was delivering a masterclass on the erhu. After that, when he came to perform with the SCO in 2017, we had a meal together. He was already telling us about the instrument he invented, the shaoqin, at that time. The erhu players, including myself, were all very interested and we slowly started borrowing the shaoqin from him [so that we could] play it. That’s how we got acquainted.

What inspired you while you were curating the concert? How did you come up with its title and decide on its central themes?

When I was asked to put together the concert, I happened to talk to George Gao about his new piece 'Capriccio 6 - Shaoyin'. So [this thought] came to my mind: "Why not invite him over as a guest musician and feature two of his works? It’ll be cool because it's a long time since he performed with SCO in 2017." I was an erhu player myself in the past, and we sort of “worship” him as he plays the erhu so well. So the collaboration was forged before we decided on what pieces to showcase. 

'Capriccio 2 - Mongolian Fantasy' is a Mongolian-themed piece, so I was thinking about how to link it to the concert. I didn’t want to go with the Mongolian theme because I had already done one concert with it. Another piece that is closely related is 'Surging Forward', which is a portrayal of horses galloping through the grasslands and a showcase of the magnificent culture and fiercely independent spirit of the people. It’s a piece that young people can relate to, so I decided to have it as the opener. This is when everything starts coming forth as "Forging Ahead". [As for the] underlying meaning of Forging Ahead, I think George and I are still very young and that we both [belong to] the younger generation of musicians, [so] we also thought of presenting this entire programme in a younger light — something that is relatable to the younger crowd [so that they can] appreciate Chinese music differently. 

The third piece is George Gao’s new piece 'Capriccio 6 - Shaoyin', which we were talking about earlier. This is a piece that truly showcases the capabilities and the innovativeness of the shaoqin as it involves extended techniques.

For the last piece, I needed a good finale that could end the concert nicely. I talked to a group of young SCO musicians, and that was when I first heard of 'Four Seasons in Lingering Garden'. When I listened to the second movement of the piece, I thought to myself: “That’s the one." So the musical pieces were decided before we landed on a specific theme for the concert, and we aimed to connect more with the younger audience. 

Speaking of the shaoqin, what are some qualities that make this instrument so unique? Why did you think it would be a good fit for Forging Ahead?

The shaoqin looks similar to the erhu. The action of playing the instrument is somewhat the same, just that range is being opened up. The traditional erhu uses snakeskin while the shaoqin uses synthetic skin, and it’s detachable so you can change to another with reverberation. The sound box is also adjustable to project sound differently. Another area that is different is what we call "qianjin", a quasi-capo tuning gadget that changes the key of the erhu. George Gao invented a QQ qianjin for shaoqin that expanded its range. 

One particular area that I like about the shaoqin is that it is very responsive. The response rate is very fast, so when you play it, the reaction is almost immediate. I think another unique quality is the ability to play double stops. It’s something that is a big opportunity for erhu players to try out. It's not easy to do at the moment, but as the instrument evolves, I think it will get better and better.

Sound-wise, I think it's debatable. Some will like it, some will not. But I think it takes time to change as instruments have evolved from the past. You know not many people support it, but in the end, it has to go somewhere. If not, the erhu will always be limited to just two of these octaves or may be limited to [certain] kinds of performance techniques. 

It’s more than just a good fit for the concert because the concert itself evolved from George Gao and his shaoqin. He was the one who said: "You know, it’ll be good to premiere the 'Capriccio 6 – Shaoyin' with all the double stops and extended techniques that can wow the audience and even orchestra members."

Earlier, you mentioned that aside from featuring George's creations, the concert will also include Wang Danhong's 'Four Seasons in Lingering Garden', which will be performed in Singapore for the first time. What does this piece mean to you personally? What kind of reception are you hoping for it to get from concert-goers?

I was happy to have discovered that 'Four Seasons in Lingering Garden’ is a four-movement piece because I like pieces that are long. The second movement, especially, is very fast, trendy, and really challenging for the orchestra. I like to put the orchestra on their toes and make sure they are still living as an international orchestra, so that's why I put it in the programme. It sounds very easy, but it's mind-torturing. We have to make it sound easy when it's actually difficult. Such a challenge is something the orchestra has never done before, so [I felt that] we should do it.

I was hoping that the Singapore audience — especially Chinese music lovers — could learn to appreciate pieces that are long. We don't have a lot of four-movement pieces in the Chinese orchestra, [so] it will be good if the audience can get to appreciate pieces of various movements telling different stories. The composer, Wang Danhong, wrote this for a group of very young, forward-looking musicians who are thirsty for new Chinese orchestral music. And so when I introduced it to SCO, I hoped it would also bring about a new set of thinking and that the SCO members would also see Chinese music in a different light. Hopefully, through our performance, the audience will get to see that SCO is not merely celebrating our past achievements, but also looking boldly and confidently towards a future that defines Chinese orchestral music in innovative and exciting ways.

Finally, in the time that you've spent as a conductor, what are some things that you've learnt about curating an immersive and emotive concert?

When curating a program, you have to look at the orchestra’s overall seasonal theme and then plan according to that direction. Apart from this, identifying stakeholders and understanding their interests are undoubtedly important parts of concert planning. But in my own opinion, I think you can just ignore all these arbitraries. I think it's always between what the curator feels about the music and about the environment, which is the audience, and keeping things simple.

The foremost question that arises is how to effectively engage the audience. It is not just about presenting the music; it's about infusing emotion into the listeners — making them feel deeply connected to the pieces being performed — and how we're going to give them a great experience from the moment they step into the concert hall. To me, everything is about giving to and sharing our experience with the audience. True enough, we have a lot of things to think about, but in my case, it's just between you and the audience and nothing else.

Forging Ahead will be held at the SCO Concert Hall at 7:30 PM on 21 October. Tickets are now available from SGD 20 to SGD 80 via SISTIC.

This interview has been edited for clarity.