China’s Humble Maestro Tutors Piano Prodigies

 

By Tim Johnson /©2005,

Knight Ridder Newspapers. Distributed by

Tribune Media Services International.

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Just over the border from Hong Kong, the shriek of car horns and clatter of machinery fill the air of Shenzhen, China. Once inside the thick doors of the Shenzhen School of the Arts, however, the grating noise dissipates. Through those doors, many young pianists have found their mecca.

 

A national treasure

 

A few years back, Shenzhen lured one of China’s most revered, if obscure, piano teachers to the local arts school. He, in turn, brought some promising students.

 

Today, Dan Zhaoyi is considered a national treasure, a maestro with a knack for catapulting young students to the highest levels of international competition. His students have chalked up an extraordinary number of prizes. At the 2000 Frederick Chopin piano competition in Warsaw, Poland, Dan had two students in the contest’s final round—an almost unheard-of achievement. The winner, Li Yundi, just 18 years old at the time, became the youngest-ever winner of the competition. Li has gone on to play in the world’s great concert halls. Dan’s other finalist, Chen Sa, also is making her mark.

 

Dan quietly acknowledges that his students have won 27 prizes in recent international competitions, including seven first place prizes. “He has so many students winning international competitions now that he is getting very, very famous,” says Zhou Guangren, a friend who teaches at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and often judges worldwide music competitions.

 

As Dan’s renown spreads, requests pour in from the United States, Japan and Europe for him to sit on juries for competitions and attend international events. Often, he offers a polite refusal. “I don’t speak English. It’s a language barrier. So I decline,” Dan explains in Mandarin with a pronounced Sichuan province accent. “I’d rather tend to my students.”

Vocabulary Focus

dissipate (v) [5disipeit] to disappear gradually

catapult (v) [5kAtEpQlt] to suddenly thrust someone or something into a

particular state, such as fame

chalk up (idiom) to achieve something, such as points or a victory

make one’s mark (idiom) to make people notice one or one’s achievements; to have an important effect on something

 

Specialized Terms

maestro (n) 音乐大师；大音乐家 a person who is very skilled in an art, especially composing, directing, teaching or performing music (Italian for “master”)

prodigy (n) 奇才；天才 someone with a very great ability, which usually shows itself when that person is a young child

Frederick Chopin 肖邦 (1810—1849) widely considered one of the greatest composers for the piano; Chopin’s musical talent became apparent very early and he was often compared with the childhood genius Mozart

conservatory (n) 音乐学校；戏剧学校 a school for the teaching of music or sometimes acting or art

jury (n) 评审委员 a group of people chosen to decide the winner of a competition

谦逊的中国音乐大师培育钢琴奇才

张梵 译

 

但昭义协助学生追寻完美钢琴天籁

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在香港边界的另一端，尖锐的汽车喇叭声和机械嘈杂声在深圳市此起彼伏。但踏入深圳艺术学院的厚重大门后，刺耳的噪声便逐渐消失，许多青年钢琴家也在学校内找到学习圣地。

 

国宝级人物   

几年前，深圳说服了一位在中国极受尊敬却鲜为人知的钢琴老师，让他至当地艺术学校任教。这位老师也带来了一些极具潜力的学生。   

但昭义如今被认为是国宝级音乐大师，能够在一夕之间将年轻学子推向最高级别的国际比赛。他的学生已赢得数目惊人的比赛奖项。在波兰华沙举行的2000年国际萧邦钢琴大赛中，但昭义有两名学生晋级决赛，这是前所未有的成就。当年18岁的李云迪赢得大赛首奖，成为史上最年轻的得主。之后李云迪至全球各知名音乐厅演奏，而但昭义另一位进入决赛的学生陈萨也开始崭露头角。   

但昭义低调地承认他的学生在最近国际大赛中赢得27个奖项，其中包含7项首奖。但昭义的朋友周广仁在北京中央音乐学院任教，常担任国际音乐比赛评审。周广仁说：“他有太多学生在国际比赛获奖，因此他也变得非常、非常出名。”

随着但昭义知名度提高，美国、日本及欧洲也开始邀请他担任国际比赛的评审并参加国际活动。但昭义通常都会礼貌地回绝。他用带着浓厚四川口音的国语解释说：“我不会讲英文，有语言隔阂，因此我婉拒。我宁可照顾好我的学生。”