Composer renews free-spirited folk music

A concert featuring the works of composer Ma Jiuyue will be performed at the Poly Theater in Beijing on Aug 4.

It's one of many big music performances during the Beijing International Pop Music Festival that kicked off in April and lasts through the end of the year.

Ma, one of the founders of new Chinese folk music, will work with the Sounds of China featuring an outstanding ensemble of contemporary musicians to present original pieces characterized by a rich blend of traditional Chinese cultural elements and contemporary, free-spirited musical expressions.

Additionally, Fang Jinlong, a renowned Chinese folk musician, will join the concert.

Fang has successfully restored and improved the long-lost Tang Dynasty (618-907) five-stringed pipa.

The ensemble will use Chinese instruments to play melodies that represent the voice of modern China.

Ma says that new folk music can integrate various musical genres while innovating the foundation of traditional music. He hopes to bring a highly distinctive music feast to the concert.

Ma is a resident composer for the China National Traditional Orchestra. In 2009, his album Listening to China: Moon Dance was included in the collection of the National Library of China and later the Library of Congress in the United States. In 2019, his album Listening to China: The Spirit won the 11th Chinese Music Awards for Best Chinese Music Album of the Year.

Over the years, Ma has served as music director for numerous concerts and is well-known for his work on the show National Treasure and various large-scale events for the popular livestream platform Bilibili.

His works allow people to appreciate the deep accumulation of Chinese culture. Hollywood musician Jeff Rona has described Ma as "a genius composer of world music".