Ulog8 – We’ll be singing in Chinese in our next choir concert, an exciting first!

I haven’t been ulogging because I’ve been working on my Keto & Fasting series, but even so, I was surprised to find it’s been 26 days! But it’s the weekend, so I’m taking a break from nutrition to talk about something more fun.

Sadly, I won’t be able to do the concert, as I’m away at a conference, but I’ll still be at all the rehearsals and will have the fun of learning the songs.

If you’re one of the kiwi Steemians and will be in Wellington on Sun, 16th September, why not head along? It’s free…

Hine e Hine

The first song we started learning for it is an old Maori lullaby, written in 1907 by Princess Te Rangi Pai (also known as Fanny Rose Howie) - Hine e Hine. It’s a lovely song and some of the more aged kiwis amongst us maybe remember it as the Goodnight Kiwi song, which played when TV closed for the night, from 1979 to 1994.

I don’t have recording of us, since we’re still learning it. The closest I could find to Julian’s arrangement is this one by the St Joseph's Maori Girls' College.

Our version is a bit faster and is mostly in four part harmony, though us top sopranos do have an extra harmony at a couple of points, making it five parts.

One of the reasons I chose this version is their phrasing of Hine e Hine, which is Hine-e e Hine, the same way we’re doing it. Nearly all of the other versions on Youtube have the phrasing Hine e Hi-ine. They’re still lovely but not the same.

The Moon Represents My Heart

Last week we had the excitement of a couple of lovely Chinese singers come to start teaching us a Chinese song. The English name of it is The Moon Represents My Heart, and it was made popular in 1977 by Teresa Teng. I chose this version of it for you to listen to, as you can see the lyrics and the English translation.

They seemed happy with our first bumbling attempts to pronounce the words, and miraculously we didn’t mangle it too badly. By mid September it should sound pretty sharp in four part harmony.

If you want to hear a different interpretation, here’s our own Hayley Westenra with Taiwanese musician Shin, at the World Games 2009 in Taiwan.

Aroha String Quartet

Also performing, as well as accompanying us, are the Aroha String Quartet. Listen to them playing Haydn String Quartet in C Op 76 No 3 'Emperor' while I tell you about them.

Their website says:

Acclaimed as demonstrating "accomplished brilliance, soulfulness and sublime intensity in perfect balance and tonal unity" (The Dominion Post), the Aroha String Quartet is firmly established as one of New Zealand's finest chamber music ensembles.

Founded in 2004, this versatile Wellington-based quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovation.

Haihong Liu and Zhongxian Jin are original members of the Aroha Quartet. Robert Ibell joined the group in 2009 and Ursula Evans in 2017.

The Aroha Quartet is committed to presenting string quartet works from western classical and avant-garde repertoire to traditional Chinese folk music, as well as works for larger forces through collaborations with numerous high-profile musicians.

I’m really disappointed that I won’t be able to do this concert, and hope I get to see a recording.

Thanks for reading and listening

Top image from the concert poster, videos from Youtube.

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