After listening to each piece of the China Festival at Carnegie Hall, I came to the conclusion that the first composition was my favorite. The pianist was not only skilled but visually seemed to be in deep concentration resulting from the object of his affection: the musical keys.  At first, the music by the composer Chen Qigang began with a slow tempo. It then moved onto a very quick, almost violent and eerie beat. Occasionally, the pianists would apparently bang the keys and then juxtapose such aggression with a smooth rising of tempos.

Each of the five acts at the Chinese Music Festival at Carnegie Hall was unique and entertaining. The first act, the man who played piano, set the tone for the rest of the concert. At first the music was simultaneously slow and upbeat. These two sounds seemed contradicting and at first I cringed, as the two sounds caused dissonance. But then I realized that the two opposing sounds kind of worked with each other and formed a type of music I was not used to hearing. His piece soon became light and fast and reminded me of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

I hardly ever go to Carnegie Hall (though I'm not sure why) so seeing anything there is a real treat, especially when it's free for us. The only other time I remember going to Carnegie Hall was a couple years ago to see a recital of some young music students.

 Questions for our trip to Carnegie Hall: 

1. What was Chinese classical music like prior to the cultural revolution and how did it change thereafter? 

2. In rejecting the, "international style," how is there no distinct point of origin in the class of 78's music? 

3. Is Chinese composition determined by education, personal experiences or both? 

4. In seeking to bring music back to China, is this a collective or more individual effort? 

 This past friday, as we know, was the 8th anniversary of September 11th. Every New Yorker had their own way of mourning, commemorating, and remembering the tragic events, and lives lost on that fateful day. For Shawn Carter, the rapper known as Jay-Z, a brooklyn native, music icon, and business mogul, this meant holding a benefit concert at Madison Square Concert, with all proceeds going directly to 9/11 charities.