´óÏó´«Ã½

In this Essay series, musicologist Natasha Loges shines the spotlight on five women pianists from across the globe. Each woman faced difference challenges, not only of gender and race, but also social class, sexuality and family responsibilities. Each life unfolded against a tumultuous background of World Wars, the Cultural Revolution and the Vietnam War. These women confronted personal and professional challenges – often controversially – to find creative fulfilment as musicians.

Programme 3: Gu Shengying

International piano competition winner Gu Shengying (1937-67) initially had a huge career in mid-century China and beyond, but fell victim to the Cultural Revolution and took her own life at the age of 29. Political exigency shaped Shengying’s life – in this case, Communist feminism, which promoted a ‘masculinised’ gender equality in which Chinese women were celebrated as a huge revolutionary force, but were expected to dress modestly, with short hair. While classical concert performance is usually read as an expression of bourgeois individuality, Shengying’s performances in the 1950s-60s shifted into proletarian settings like factories. Despite attempts to adapt, she was persecuted by anti-capitalist groups. Scholar Ren Zixi, an expert on classical music under Communism adds her insights and extracts from Gu's diaries, as well as archival recordings of Shengying.