Wu Zuqiang/Du Mingxin: “The Mermaid“ Ballet Suite No. 4: Wedding Scene (Markus Staab, piano)

The joint composers of the Mermaid Suite, drawn from a popular ballet of the late 1950s, are well known in China. In particular both composers were concerned with the composition of The Red Detachment of Women, one of the so-called Revolutionary Ballets. The Mermaid is less charged with political significance, its dances representing the somewhat foreign notion of the fishwoman, however typical the actual dance titles. Ginseng has great significance as a panacea. Growing in Korea and Manchuria, its root is highly prized for its medicinal properties, which may be related to its forked human resemblance. Its magical properties made it the possession of Emperors, while, in the West it has a counterpart in the mandrake. The opening dance of The Mermaid Suite, starts with the woodwind, introduces a delicately pointed melody for the Dance of Ginseng. This is followed by a lightly scored Coral Dance, with the underlying suggestion of rippling water, against which the melody is set. The Dance of the Seaweed brings a more gracious evocation of the swirl of the plant in eddying waters, a characteristic motif again heard against the flowing background figuration. The music fades away into the distance, as trombones play off-stage, and the strings whisper their final chord. A lively Straw Hats Flower Dance follows, with a rhythmically accompanied flute melody, developing in complexity, the typically Chinese percussion providing vigorous cheerfulness. The Suite ends with a dance for two dozen mermaids and the inevitable happy ending in a Wedding Dance, the former dominated initially by an oboe theme, and the latter introduced with a soft drum roll, but bringing a scene of typically energetic jollity. ****** If you like this video subscribe to my channel. There are many more videos like this one lovingly prepared and edited by myself for your enjoyment! Check out my extensive playlist collections as well.