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Googlies in China
Peter Phillips
In the catalogue of unlikely cultural matches, the most extreme example that I can think of is the one involving Latin- texted Renaissance polyphony and audi- ences who have no knowledge of nor interest in Christianity. Perhaps there are yet more extreme cases to be had, but the sight of a brand-new symphony hall in Guangzhou (old Canton) packed to the nines with people who had waited two hours for the delayed start of a concert by the Tallis Scholars took the biscuit in my experience.
What on earth were they expecting? The difference between a tour of China — we have just completed our first — and one of Japan, for example, where we have so far given eight, is the total lack of back-up material. Whereas in Japan there has been a flourishing market of CDs and magazines for many years, in China the lack of a con- vertible currency has meant that record companies are disinclined to do business there. This creates difficulties for Western musicians of any kind, which usually means that only very well-established (and fund- ed) organisations such as symphony orches- tras can afford to go there.
In our case one must also add the prob- lem that the Chinese government is hostile to anything to do with organised religion — our concert in Beijing was mysteriously not advertised. How we found an audience that evening in Guangzhou remains a mystery, except to say that Guangzhou is not Bei- jing; and, like Hong Kong nearby, the inhabitants seem hell-bent on acquiring everything Western they can lay their hands on. They are already far advanced with Internet cafés, nightclubs, Starbucks and shopping malls.
Which brings me to the relatively techni- cal question: why Latin polyphony? Unlike in the more Westernised countries of the region, we were really blazing a trail in China, not just for Renaissance music but for early music in general. China is not yet on the itineraries of most chamber ensem- bles and is now on ours only because we are stubborn and lucky. We received no money from any government agency, and precious little from the locals that could be spent on anything other than sweetcorn ice-cream (which, incidentally, is repulsive); but small grants came in from interested charities, and one from BP Amoco, about a month before departure, and a risk was taken.
Which of us — the Tallis Scholars or the audiences — took the greater risk is a moot point, but it was noticeable how the audiences talked through the first few min- utes of each show before eventually coming to listen essentially as Western audiences do: with no knowledge of Latin, without an interest in Christian dogma, but as to an intellectually engaging sound. This music has surely come a long way from its origi- nal context, if not purpose.
Touring In China is not so very different from touring elsewhere — the venues and hotels are ultra-modern — except that we could never be sure when local custom might bowl us a googly (or, come to think of it, a chinaman). For example, the moment we looked as though we might leave the stage the audience would assume we wanted to go home, and stop applaud- ing immediately, out of politeness, so as not to detain us further. We always left them in silence. In other places this might suggest someone was trying to tell us some- thing (though in fact that message is usual- ly conveyed in sound also) but not in China. Obviously this behaviour had a neg- ative effect on our encore-giving.
And then there were those delights of every tourist: the approximate translation of something (often an instruction) which had no firm meaning in the first place, and whose intrinsic interest is vastly improved by trying to find concepts for translation in the second. Here is the sales pitch from the back of something called a Multi-Function One Toilet-Seat (all the orthography is as given): 'The product is in the buttock and toilet-seat when you are toileing in toiet. It's sont only as toilet-paper with reading matter or advertisements in it which center Because it is made of toilet-paper. Only used once Having many functions and spraying with faint sent disinfect, it is removing stink.' Concert touring is a many- faceted occupation.
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