Musical Lecture-Performance
Rhapsody in Yellow
A Lecture-Performance with Two Pianos
Ming Wong
World premiere: 22 September 2022, steirischer herbst ’22 | German premiere
Trailer
An international piano competition, a table tennis match, two improvising pianists: At a time of rising tensions between the US and China, artist Ming Wong presents a musical lecture-performance that traces the Sino-American “ping-pong” diplomacy.
At a time of rising tensions between the US and China, artist Ming Wong presents a musical lecture-performance that traces the Sino-American “ping-pong” diplomacy, starting with President Nixon’s historic state visit to Communist China and his meeting with Chairman Mao fifty years ago. Evoking an international piano competition and a table tennis match, two classical pianists collaborate and improvise on a performative unification of the sonic regimes of the US and China.
In a ping-pong double concerto accompanied by archival moving images and spoken word, they explore the role of European classical music, modernism, and myth-making in the rise of these two nations in the 20th century. From table tennis and television to tanks and trade wars, “Rhapsody in Yellow” charts the changing balance of power between the US and China, in a duet of discord and harmony, chaos and serendipity, humor and pathos.
Cast
Ming Wong – Concept,Text and Video
Henry Hao-An Cheng – Musical Direction
Ben Kim, Mark Taratushkin – Piano
Music conceived by Ming Wong and Henry Hao-An Cheng, arranged by Christopher Schlechte-Bond
Liam Morgan – Cinematography and Lighting
Konstantin Sichart – Vision Mixing
Guo Liu, Alex Booth – Foyer Exhibition Display
Mariko Mikami – Production Management
Commissioned by steirischer herbst ’22 and Singapore Art Museum
Produced by steirischer herbst ’22The description of the performance was written by the curators of steirischer herbst ’22. We would like to thank for the kind and uncomplicated provision of these materials.