Over here, or all over there
Thursday - Beijing
Here we are then. Important stragglers, like the conductor and soloist, have caught up – as has the half of the instruments that got stuck at Amsterdam. Just as well yesterday was planned as a recovery day. Jet lag and the awful smog notwithstanding, this is a stunning place, transformed even more since our last trip. New airports, spectacular new buildings, new motorways swirling around like noodles, new landscaping everywhere – trees, flowers, hedges, coloured paving. If you haven't been to China, you haven't seen 'big'. The new buildings are stunning. We're playing in one tonight, the Centre for Performing Arts, a giant steel egg right by Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the people, where we played last time. That was strange: the inside of that building is like a giant American cinema, and we were playing Elgar, me sticking my cello spike into the bit of floor where Mao stood and harangued the party faithful for five or six hours at a time. Our national squabble about our parliament building seems so petty. Scotland needs, an expensive iconic building – my worry is about the quality of what goes on inside it, and the daftness of our moaning about the building. If you ask me......and I know you're not......then I'd brashly state that the problem is that Scotland is not ready for, or might never even really want, full blown independence and its own parliament. We've got a great big new toy, and we're not sure how to play with it. Now, China......they've been doing "It's us, and it's big" for four thousand years.
The heart rending earthquake disaster seems subsumed under the sheer industriousness of things here; but profits from tonight will be sent to the disaster fund. Our concert is the first of the prestigious 'Meet in Beijing' series which will run many events right through to the end of the Olympics.
Yesterday, folk did the Beijing thing. The great sights have to be seen. I had time when we were here before, so I fancied a day in the park. No ordinary park this, Beihai. Back in the twelfth century the emperor said, "Let's have another new park". So they dug a big (very big) lake, built a little mountain, and covered it with stones and rocks. Not just ordinary rocks, but rocks from the far corners of China. Oh! And let's have Tolkeinesque mythological underground caves as well. Pavilions, pagodas, temples and sculpted avenues surround the lake, and a massive white Tibetan tower, that was built to honour a previous Dalai Lama, dominates the 'mountain'. For buildings, this is just a Beijing side show; but for people watching it must be the best place in the world. Thousands out, singing, dancing, Tai Chi, diabolo, water calligraphy done with huge brushes on the hot pavestones, people playing instruments (you're lucky you missed Lorna and me attempting to play the erhu) – all together, spontaneous and with lots of laughter – and carrying their litter home. One of the calligraphers did it with two brushes at once. Imagine writing a different poem with each hand, both in beautiful calligraphy. Another 'calligraphed' pictures of Lorna and me. Created in a minute, dried out and gone in five – that's right for a Buddhist theme park.
There's been a clutch of press events, receptions and master classes, and now off to our first rehearsal. This Arts building awed me as few others have. Talking of lakes, the whole giant egg sits in the middle of a lake. The entrances take you down under glass ceilings, the water above scattering sunlight in all directions. Inside you have a choice of an opera house, a theatre or a concert hall. Some egg, this. And the acoustic is brilliant. A Chinese boy won a violin competition, and for part of his prize he'll join us on stage for our special Chinese encore.
After tonight's concert we won't have time to breathe for a few days, and it's touch and go whether our kit is going to make it to Shanghai in time for us tomorrow. Our road team need a very sharp red tape cutter. For the players, we just do what we're used to; but they're faced with major challenges on a trip like this. Look forward to hearing how we get on.
Anthony Sayer
