Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson took the world of classical music by storm.
Bond, a British quartet dubbed the "classical Spice Girls," thrilled Beijing two years ago.
Now comes the 12 Girls Band, which is made up of a dozen classically trained young players of Chinese traditional instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa, dizi, yangqin, tuliang and hulusi.
After touring Japan and Hong Kong, the band has returned to conquer the Chinese mainland, where it was born in June 2001.
The band will give two performances featuring folk music collected, composed or arranged by Wang Luobin (1913-96) at the Beijing Exhibition Hall Theatre this Friday and Saturday.
China's most well-known folk musician of the 20th century, he devoted his entire life to collecting, preserving and promoting the folk music of western China. Taking up the task in 1937, he has scored and arranged more than 1,000 popular traditional folk songs such as At a Place Far Away, Alamuhan, The Flowers and a Young Man and Daban City's Girl.
At the two concerts, the audiences will get to hear all these familiar melodies but with a different flavor.
This is because 12 Girls Band is not your usual folk or traditional instrumental band. They do not play folk music in the traditional way.
Visual music?
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson describes her music as "violin techno-acoustic fusion," so it seems reasonable enough to call the 12 Girls Band's music "folk techno-acoustic fusion," or impresario Wang Xiaojing's simpler "visual folk music."
"The original idea was to produce a show pleasant to the eyes as well as the ears," says Wang. "I think people come to a show not only to listen but to look as well. So I chose some pretty girls, dressed them in fashionable outfits and topped it all off with fantastic stage design and lighting."
As for the music, the 12 girls play a new style that combines traditional Chinese instruments, pop beats, a touch of jazz and elements of other music forms from around the world, including rock and hip-hop.
Like Vanessa Mae and Bond, 12 Girls Band brings action and sex appeal into the classical concert hall.
All this should be attributed to Wang Xiaojing, the general manager of Beijing Century Stardisc Culture Spread Co Ltd, a man who always wears dark brown sunglasses to keep others guessing what's on his mind, and whose rigid face never gives any sign of a smile to the public.
Before discovering these girls, the veteran impresario had turned a number of singers -- some talented some not -- into stars.
Winners who have benefited from his help include singers Luo Qi, Chen Lin, Luo Bing and rock band The Compass, but the biggest name is Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock'n'roll. Wang worked as Cui's agent in the 1980s and helped Cui produce two albums.
"Despite his dark brown glasses, Wang sees performers' potentials very clearly," says Song Xiaoming, a lyricist and one of Wang's friends.
Wang brought the commercial sensuality of the pop and rock scene to the often sterile world of traditional music and folk music in 1997.
"I work in the music industry because I love music. I have listened to all kinds of music, both Chinese and Western, from rock and pop to jazz, and folk -- the music of the world. A few years ago, I realized that folk music is one of the main sources of music in the world. So since 1997 I have been thinking of ways to utilize Chinese folk music," Wang said.
It has by no means been easy. Wang talked with some friends in the business, and they told him that it would be hard to combine five-tone Chinese music with Western orchestration. Many people have tried but few have had any success.
Wang refused to accept defeat.
In 1998, he went to a concert in Beijing's Poly Theatre where a Japanese pianist co-operated with Chinese erhu player Wen Jinlong. The latter stood beside the piano to play the traditional Chinese instrument. The performance inspired Wang.
But he wanted to produce a band, not an erhu soloist.
Talking about this, Wang waxed poetic about his idea with the girls: "The 12 Girls Band is a brand. Each of the 12 girls is a note in the score. People know the 12 Girls Band but have no clear idea who is who. Whenever one of them leaves the band, I will find someone to take her place. There are thousands of pretty young women learning traditional instruments."
Then he met Guo Yaqing and was impressed by his arrangements of folk music pieces. Subsequently, Guo became the band's first music director and composed and arranged several pieces of music for the girls.
Now Guo has been replaced by Liang Jianfeng, another young composer, whom Wang discovered on a concert on TV which featured Liang's arrangement of Wang Luobin's folk song Alamuhan.
Liang has arranged more works by Wang Luobin and some popular Western and Japanese songs with electronic and percussion, which has enriched the band's repertoire.
In May 2001, Wang started recruiting girls for the band, attracted more than 100 girls from the China Conservatory of Music, the Central Conservatory of Music and the Central University of Nationalities.
Wang held a three-round audition for the applicants. The first was a test on instrument playing; this was followed with a personal interview; and the last test was playing a piece at the recording studio.
Within one month, the 12 Girls Band was formed. Each member is able to play two or three instruments and some even more than that.
Over the following three months, the girls received special training to create their special performance style, for example, practicing playing instruments standing in a room with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on all four walls.
Yang Songmei, a yangqin player who graduated from the China Conservatory of Music, said: "It's hard for us to play standing up, because we have spent so many years learning to play while seated. But in front of the mirrors, we can see immediately if our posture is effective or not."
Mixed comments
On October 5, 2001, the 12 Girls Band gave its debut performance at Beijing's Century Theatre.
Not as spicy as Vanessa-Mae, who isn't shy in the spotlight and runs across the stage while playing, the 12 girls stand or sit to play in worked-out poses, moving gently to the rhythms of the music.
As Wang expected, the show got mixed reviews.
Some said the audience watched the girls rather than listening to their music.
"The show is something like a big party, luxurious and full of life, although it's hard to tell whether it's a Chinese or a Western party. Or it is something like a Chinese wine spiced with a shot of cognac. The cognac masks the original rich scent of the Chinese wine but you cannot say it is not wine," said Fu Xin, an audience member at the debut performance.
The new style of instrumental pop hasn't been a hit with music critics and classical purists who blast the 12 Girls Band for degrading the traditional instruments with their playing.
"Their music combines traditional and folk elements with new-age techno but I don't think they produce a high quality sound that retains the aesthetic beauty for which Chinese traditional music and folk music is renowned," said Piao Dongsheng, conductor and chairman of the China Traditional Orchestra Society.
Composer Ye Xiaogang said: "The idea is innovative and to be commended. However, the music itself does not sound very good. There are many problems with the scores. Music itself is ultimately what a band is about, no matter how you package and promote it. The way of playing, the costumes and the lighting are all secondary. You cannot imagine a good play without an appealing story; similarly, a band cannot survive without a good repertoire."
Composer Li Lifu does not think what Wang has done makes any contribution to the development of Chinese folk music. "In terms of instruments, techniques of playing and composing, their music offers nothing new. As for the way of playing, such as standing to perform, it's very superficial. I wish I had compliments to offer about their technical and artistic level, but I don't."
But not everyone disapproves. Erhu player Yan Jiemin praises Wang's bold venture and says he offers these young players a great chance to perform. "This could help folk music enter the market and help win converts to the genre. But I do not think it has much to do with developing folk music. They just play the traditional instruments."
Wang, an impresario not a musician, has succeeded in attracting people's attention to the usually calm and tranquil traditional music scene.
After the premiere, the 12 Girls Band was invited to perform on a number of TV programs including the 2002 China Central Television Spring Festival Variety Show, which is China's most popular live broadcast on Spring Festival Eve.
Warner China signed a contract with the band and cut its debut album "Charming Music" in February 2002.
However, Wang's ultimate target market is not China.
Last February, the 12 Girls Band signed a contract with Japan's Platia records, and 12 Girls Band rose to popularity at an incredible speed.
Its albums are put on the best-selling shelves in record stores and its fans in Japan range from 20 to 60 years of age.
In Japan, the album "Beautiful Energy," which was released last July, has sold 2 million copies and topped the sales charts. Their album "The Miracle" has sold 380,000 copies and a live concert album has sold 200,000 copies.
With multi-platinum sales and top-of-the-chart standing in Japan, the 12 Girls Band made a name for itself as China's most successful musical export of the year 2003.
According to Wang, more than 1,000 Japanese fans have booked tickets to the Beijing concerts. They will fly in to applaud the 12 Chinese girls.
Girls' view
This January, the band gave four sold-out shows in Hong Kong, which again raised hot discussion in music circles in China. This time the girls themselves joined in the debate.
"We are not content to allow the exuberance of youth to be reined in by the stringency of traditional music. So we enjoy playing alternative music that combines the use of acoustic and electric instruments, although there is always controversy when a traditionally trained player strays from traditional music," said Yin Yan, one of the 12 girls.
Yin learned to play erhu at the age of 8 and was studying at the China Conservatory of Music.
"Young people of our age like our music. It's natural that somebody familiar with traditional music will not readily accept our new style," said Yin.
Zhou Jiannan, a guzheng player from the Central Conservatory of Music, compares playing classical repertoire to climbing high mountains. "Many classical works are too deep and heavy to be interpreted easily. It's something like climbing mountains. Only a few can reach the summit while the majority have to struggle to get even half way. Our music is really like 'playing.' I feel free and relaxed."
"We can introduce fans of pop and folk music to one another, as well as giving a home to those who had long been fans of both," said Liao Binqu, who graduated from the Central University of Nationalities and can play the dizi, bawu, xiao, hulusi and tuliang.
Pipa player Zhong Bao who loves Nicole Kidman and jazz said: "We all cherish the chance to perform as a team and to try a new artistic form. We've just got to keep improving and creating good music; otherwise, we will lose our appeal."
As the news of their Beijing concerts spreads, more and more local people are showing an interest in the band. Their albums sell well in the record stores. And imitator bands have popped up in some venues.
"I initially purchased the CD 'Miracle' without really knowing what the 12 Girls Band was all about. But all the pieces in the album are fun to listen to and have great rhythms. The players have excellent tone quality and resonance," said Feng Qiwu, a 26-year-old company clerk.
But the debate seems never to stop.
"I have to admit that Wang is a clever and successful agent. When I traveled to Hong Kong, and to Japan and Singapore recently, I could hear the band's music in taxis, pubs and hotels," said Jin Zhaojun, Beijing-based music critics.
"But is it a fad or a style that is here to stay? Who knows. Its biggest problem is composing. Liang is good, but he alone is not enough and his music lacks variety."
Lyrist Song Xiaoming said the 12 Girls Band adds a bright color to Chinese traditional and folk music. "But only a color, it's not the mainstream and can never satisfy the high-brows."
The fame of the 12 Girls Band is so far limited to Japan and China. Wang has yet to make any kind of impact in the music market in the rest of the world, such as in Europe, or in the United States.
Wang has already released the album "Glory" in the United States and Spain, and is negotiating a US tour with local performance agents.
"Zhang Yimou took Gong Li up the red carpet at the Academy Awards, and I would like to take the 12 Girls Band up the red carpet of the Grammys" he said with confidence.
But will he succeed?
It really does not depend on how far Wang is prepared to back the band, and neither does it matter how charming the 12 girls look. The key point is whether their music has audience appeal.
Why not invite Tan Dun, Chen Qigang or Guo Wenjing to compose for them? Someone suggested this and it sounds like a good idea.
(China Daily March 17, 2004)
