《希聲︰一個美國琴人的境界》電影放映、演奏及座談會 “Music beyond Sound: an American’s World of Guqin”

一位美國音樂家探尋東方古琴
由香港中文大學敬文書院、善衡書院、音樂系合辦的「《希聲︰一個美國琴人的境界》電影放映、演奏及座談會」已於2022年11月28日假陳震夏館劇場圓滿舉行，一眾中大師生出席活動，座無虛設。
是夜播出紀錄片《希聲︰一個美國琴人的境界》後，美藉古琴家唐世璋先生演奏優美古琴樂曲。最後，唐先生與紀錄片的監製及導演劉成漢先生與出席師生交流。
《希聲︰一個美國琴人的境界》於2019年完成製作，故事以唐世璋先生為主軸，回顧他醉心古琴，踏上四十多年藝術尋索之路。古琴有七弦，最早出現可追溯千年以前，自古深受中國文人雅士喜愛。劉成漢導演表示，初期拍攝只為記錄唐先生的精彩演出，後來他發現唐先生全心投入古琴，影響非凡，於是改變主意，以十年時間拍了一套紀錄長片。
唐世璋先生少時學習鋼琴及小提琴，本科修讀音樂學，碩士攻讀亞洲研究。1974到1976年間，他遠赴台灣學習古琴，師從孫毓芹先生。他於1976年向香港古琴家唐健桓請益，並定居香港，從此與香港建下深厚情誼。近半個世紀以來，唐先生精研古琴之藝，尤擅打譜，重新解讀十五及十六世紀的指法譜去演奏樂曲，錄製逾二百首古琴曲，數量前所未見。他的演奏錄音收聽次數位居前列，個人網頁每天錄得上千個點擊率。他對藝術及音樂界貢獻良多，表演及教學遍及全球，履歷豐富，跟世界各地的藝術家合作無間。
是晚的電影、演奏及座談為書院、學系合作的非形式通識教育活動，讓中大師生親炙一位可敬的西方音樂家︰他對古琴充滿熱忱，結合近代的表演形式來復興東方古琴，承傳發展，促進中西文化交流。
An Intriguing Journey of a Westerner in Pursuit of the Eastern Guqin
Jointly organized by CW Chu College, S.H. Ho College, and the Department of Music, CUHK, “Music beyond Sound: an American’s World of Guqin” screening, performance and discussions was held at the Theatre of Chan Chun Ha Hall on 28 November, 2022, where students and staff members filled the venue. The evening featured a documentary film, Music beyond Sound: an American’s World of Guqin, followed by Mr. John Thompson’s captivating live performance, and a discussion session.
Mr. John Thompson, a renowned American guqin master, and Mr. Lau Shing-hon, the producer and director of the documentary film, had a cordial discussion with students and staff members in the cultural event.
Completed in 2019, Music beyond Sound: an American’s World of Guqin tells the story of Mr. John Thompson and his quest to master the art of guqin, a plucked seven-string instrument which is favoured by scholars and literati and said to have a thousand years’ history. At the beginning, Mr. Lau only planned to record the music performances of Mr. Thompson but when he discovered more about Mr. Thompson’s dedication and importance, he decided to make a featured documentary and spent ten years on it.
As a child, Mr. Thompson learnt to plan the piano and violin, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in musicology and a master’s degree in Asian studies. He went to Taiwan in 1974 to study qin with guqin master Sun Yuqin, then with Dr. Tong Kin-Woon in 1976 when he came to Hong Kong, in which he settled and with which he developed a lasting relationship. Spending close to five decades on the art of guqin, Mr. Thompson constructed the music based on his interpretation of 15th and 16th century guqin tablatures and recorded over two hundred of them. This is the largest number of pieces recorded by a single player. He is one of the most listened players, with his website gaining thousands of daily hits. Mr. Thompson has contributed much to the communities of arts and music. He has performed and taught guqin to audience around the globe with a diverse portfolio of collaborative performances with artists from near and far.
Co-organised by colleges and a department, the event aimed to enrich cultural understanding among the University community. The evening with film, music and discussions opened the guests and audience’s eyes, minds and hearts, and provided them a rare insight into a westerner’s keen spirit to revive the tradition and development of eastern qin with contemporary expression exemplary of cultural exchange between the East and West.