China Blog 9: Peking Duck, National Orchestra

Long before I left for Beijing, Cheney gave me an option of two concerts available the week I was there.  One was a classical concert played by a western-style orchestra, and the other was the National Orchestra, playing traditional instruments of China.  Well, what a no-brainer.  The National Orchestra was something I looked forward to from that moment. And we attended the concert in the National Performing Arts Center, the "Egg" as its known in Beijing.

The trip to the Peking Duck restaurant, 

I particularly like the architecture of this building. 

The Southeast Corner Watchtower, part of the 15th. century wall around Beijing, most of which is gone. 

Central Conservatory of Music (Lang-Lang's alum)

The Peking Duck Restaurant.  

(the guide books all call this the Beijing Duck restaurant, but most Chinese still call it Peking Duck)

Belle  (I expect she will do something in drama!)

This is the most famous one of several in Beijing.  This one hosted, Nixon, Carter, Kissinger, among others.

Our table

The duck arrives on a cart, and the duck-chef (?) carves in front of us. 

Duck, fried skin, meatballs, veggies, all to be wrapped in a thin bread, like a tack. 

And then dipped in a fantastic sauce. 

Desert is a duck, filled with sweets. 

The meal, for the four of us, with a bottle of wine, cost about $70. (!!)

And off to the National Performing Arts Center, popularly known as "the egg"

Very controversial, when first palnned ("doesn't fit in", "not Chinese" "French architect?") but it is now

generally accepted to be a masterpiece. 

And it changes colors as you watch across the water. 

And, like everything in Beijing, monumental

And finally into one of the many performance areas in the "Egg".

Great sight lines (we had great seats), and wonderful acoustics. 

Yes, that is a huge pipe organ.
Going on line, I learned that the organ has a 64' stop called "The voice of the whale"

And here is the orchestra. The concert combined full ensemble, with a few chamber works.

Although the orchestra had a few celli and bassi, the remaining instruments were all classical Chinese instrument, 

found also in performances of Peking Opera. 

These include the Erhu, a two-string violin-like instrument with a soundbox traditionally covered with snakeskin.

The Guzheng, an 18 to 23 string instrument that looks like a steel harp

the Pipa, a four-string mandolin-like instrument, that sounds remarkably like a banjo, but more melow

Dizi and Xiao, horizontal and vertical flutes, usually of bamboo

Suona, a trumpet-like instrument, but with a reed. Can be both beautiful, and raucous. 

And my favorite, the Sheng, a kind of mouth organ, bamboo pipes, and reeds.  I actually owned one, once. 

Guzheng

Two very celebrated Erhu performers. 

On the way home, passing the CCTV tower.  What you see, mostly is the enterior walls, you have

to look closely in the dark to see the actual building.