CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Silk and Bamboo: Music and Art of China

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 2:00 PM

J. Kenneth Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge, Department of Musical Instruments
James C. Y. Watt, Brooke Russell Astor Chairman, Department of Asian Art

Sunday, October 18

Sunday at the Met—A Chinese Celebration
Grace Rainey Rodgers Auditorium
Free with museum admission

Today’s event highlights two special exhibitions, Eccentric Visions: The Worlds of Luo Ping (1733–1799) and Silk and Bamboo.

2:00 PM Lecture: The Eccentric World of Luo Ping. Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Curator, Department of Asian Art. GRR

2:45PM Lecture: Silk and Bamboo—An Introduction. Ken Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge of the Department of Musical Instruments.

3:15 PM Discussion: Masterpieces of Chinese Music. Music from China. The rich sonorities and compelling melodies of Chinese music are invoked on string instruments consisting of the erhu and related 2-string fiddles, pipa (lute), zheng (long, plucked zither), ruan (moon guitar) and yangqin (hammered dulcimer). Musicians from the ensemble Music from China perform masterworks from the Chinese classical and folk repertoire with an array of stylistic variations, timbral colors, and musical imagery.
The program includes such immortal classical compositions as Ambush on Ten Sides, a powerful re-creation of a 3rd century battle scene, and the romance with nature of A Moonlit River in Spring. Folk music selections span China’s broad landscape, from the urban sophistication of Shanghai and Guangdong (Canton) to the vast expanse of the Mongolian steppes (to 4:15).

Presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

More Information:

Complete exhibition dates: Friday, September 5, 2009 through Sunday, February 7, 2010.

Silk and Bamboo: Music and Art of China is an exhibition celebrating the diverse musical heritage of China, one of the oldest continuously documented traditions with roots reaching back more than 8,000 years.With about 60 objects drawn largely from the Museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition features a wide variety of musical instruments and art, including a rare Ming dynasty ivory-covered pipa (lute) and lacquered qin (zither), extraordinary bells from the fifth century B.C., and Han dynasty pottery in the shapes of dancers and musicians. The Museum will also offer a number of educational activities and performances.


The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Egyptian Special Exhibition Galleries
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)
New York, NY 10028

For more information:
metmuseum.org