Why Art?
“The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
To reveal art and to conceal the artist is the art’s aim.
Thought and language are to the artist instrument of an art.
Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and vital.
All art is quite useless.”
--- Oscar Wilde---
Why Art? In the ever changing world which seems to demand our attention towards such immediate needs, I have asked this question too often. Everyday as we face such uncertainties while raising kids and educating the next generation; it is too daunting to imagine the future.
Sharing perspectives as a musician, a mother and a teacher I am extraordinarily grateful for living an artistic life. The daily practice that puts the instrument in a physical contact which feels all at once familiar and reassuring; the inner conversation we have when delving into learning or relearning a piece of music; the stimulating and exciting moments engaging with young musicians who are passionate and eager to learn. The explorations of all solutions that must be unique to a particular player. Each act needs discipline, each thought process demands care and detail, most of all -- nuanced thinking in youths will pave the way to a future which only insists on more understanding, connecting, eventually evolving organically.
As a violist, we listen inside out. We need a community to make music together and we are the important crucial piece in the middle of the harmony. All this requires listening in such a nuanced way. Whether it is taking part in a Beethoven Quartet, at times the line can support the cello or the violin, then transition seamlessly into a solo voice. Or playing in the back of an orchestra, aching to feel the conductor with such distance between you, trying hard to be in one with the section. Or performing a concerto where the job becomes about painting with bold strokes and lead with authority. Each setting is about listening in a different way, yet each setting is about belonging to a bigger whole when we can lose ourselves in the process. The reward is often magical, unexpected beauty and a sense of belonging. When one pauses to listen, one hears more.
为什么(人们需要)艺术?随着艺术日渐成为必需，万变的大千世界似乎正将人们的注意 力吸引到这个问题上来。而我自己也常常在思索这个问题。我常觉得，每天在养育孩子和 教育下一代的同时，我们还被生活的巨大不确定性给包围着;这一切都令想象未来成为一 件令人闻而怯步的事情。
作为一名音乐家、一位母亲和一名老师，我对自己能够生活在艺术里充满了感激之情。我 享受每日练琴时肢体和乐器接触的那种熟悉和安心;享受学习或是温习一首曲子时和自我 的内心对话;更享受和年轻的音乐家们合作时的那些启发性的，令人兴奋的瞬间。每一位 乐手对于音乐的理解和感悟都见仁见智，独特鲜明。每一个思维过程都需要细心和对细节 的关注，最重要的是，年轻人的这种细致入微的思考方式将铺平未来的道路，一条充满对 话，理解，联系，持续而有机发展的道路。
身为一名中提琴手，我们(需要去)极为细致而透彻地聆听。音乐家们需要一个团体来共 同创造音乐，而我们(中提琴手)则是创造这美妙和声中至关重要的一员。这些都需要我 们去极细微极精准地聆听。比如当我们拉贝多芬四重奏时，中提琴声部常要支撑大提琴或 者小提琴声部，然后微妙地无缝过渡到独奏。或是当我们坐在乐团后排演出时，由于距离 指挥较远，我们常需要努力地感知指挥的节奏，尽可能地与乐团融为一体。再例如当我们 演奏协奏曲时，我们需要用大胆的弓法去权威地引导整个乐团。不同的场合需要我们从不 同的角度聆听，同时每种角度都需要我们考虑全局，忘我地迷失在融入音乐整体的过程 中。这种聆听方式的回报往往是奇妙的，它有着意想不到的美且带给人们一种归属感。当 一个人驻足倾听时，往往听得到更多。