Two exceptional artists combine their talents for a one-off performance inspired by the fragile beauty in life.
Artistic collaborations are wonderful for fans and audiences; you get to see specialists in respective fields combine their talents to create something that would not exist otherwise. For the artists, however, collaborating can be an intensely daunting experience that requires true vulnerability.
For composer, performer, and masterfully trained guzheng expert Mindy Meng Wang and one of Australia’s most distinguished jazz artists Paul Grabowsky, collaborating has been a beautiful experience. It has also led to the creation of Spring, Flower, Snow and the Moon 春花秋月, a one-off performance that offers an intimate listening experience that explores life and shared emotions via the melding of the traditional Chinese guzheng and piano.
We spoke with Wang about the upcoming performance, her collaboration with Grabowsky, and her position as the Melbourne Recital Centre’s 2022/2023 Artist in Residence.
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Wang was born and classically trained in China before studying Western Musicology in the UK and migrating to Australia. An expert in experimental music and improvisation, she has worked across genres with acts like Gorillaz, Regurgitator, and Deborah Cheetham and is pioneering a new sonic direction for the traditional Chinese instrument, the guzheng.
On January 27th, Wang and Grabowsky’s new collaboration with be performed in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, which according to Wang, is a fitting launch to the new Chinese Lunar Year.
“I think it is a great moment to present a new work which is a collaboration between the west and the east,” she says. “After so many years of lockdown, everyone is mentally exhausted, and the music Paul and I play together can reach into a deep part of our hearts that can give people a space to deal with their own emotions, a safe space to release within the music.”
When discussing the collaboration with Grabowsky, and how it felt to extend the level of trust required for successfully creating music with another artist, Wang claimes the process was incredibly natural for both artists. “Paul is such an amazing listener; musically, he is so open-minded, and from the first moment we started playing together, we got into a really deep conversation in our minds,” she says. “It’s heavy for us as it is very confronting; whenever we play, we say we feel like we just had therapy.”
The two artists plan to record studio versions of their collaboration later this year, one of the many projects Wang has in mind for 2023. This ambitious artist nature has actually led to an extension of her artist-in-residence at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
“I want to help emerging artists, especially those with a similar background,” she continues. “When MCR asked me what I wanted to do, I was pouring out with ideas.” Some of these include plans for a youth program, as well as an artist exchange with similar programs in China. Wang mentions how supportive the city of Melbourne has been in her creative pursuits, specifically the open-minded nature of artists here who are willing to cross-pollinate genres, something that previously hindered her progress in other parts of the world. “This city has many supportive initiatives for arts, and the people want to encourage those who have different ideas, especially if your ideas have greater an impact on society.”
The upcoming performance at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall uses the uncommon combination of guzheng and piano, which creates a hauntingly beautiful sound. Spring, Flower, Snow and the Moon is a phrase from a 10th-century Chinese poem reflecting the natural and beautiful things in life.
There was a poignant inspiration in this idea for Wang; “all of the things in the title happen for a little time, which describes that the beautiful things in our lives won’t stay forever; they are there for a moment. I hope that this concert will also be a special moment in this year.”
Mindy Meng Wang & Paul Grabowsky’s one-off live performance of Spring, Flower, Snow and the Moon 春花秋月 takes place on Friday, 27 January 2023 7.30pm at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. Tickets are available now.
This article was made in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre.
