Seven singers dressed in white robes sit on each side of the stage, performing vocal improvisation. Photo: Courtesy of Song Ge
A new stage show is celebrating the role the Huangpu River has played in the city's development from a temporary stage suspended over the water.
The performance, Water Amrta, draws its inspiration from not just the river, but also the Sanskrit word amrta, which Song Ge, composer and producer of the performance, says refers to light and immortality. She also performs in the show.
"The performance has been specially created to deliver a unique live music experience on the Huangpu River," Song, who is also known as Ehesuma, told the Global Times. "It will not only be a music concert, but also a field of sound and energy."
Song is also the founder of local music ensemble Amrta Studio, which has produced the Amrta Song series. Since its debut in 2009, the studio has presented different pieces in different venues each year, with Water Amrta its fifth major production.
Established in 2008, the studio boasts musicians who can perform with a variety of instruments, including some original instruments created by Amrta Studio.
The temporary stage, near Longyao Road and Longteng Avenue in Xuhui Riverside Area, has been dubbed Qi Fang (literally meaning "seven directions"). During the performance, seven singers dressed in white robes will sit on each side of the stage, performing vocal improvisation. In the center of the stage will be six musicians performing in a circle.
"During the 80-minute-or-so performance, the musicians are required to shoulder the role of three jobs - playing their own instruments, drumming and sometimes singing," Song said.
The shape of the stage was inspired by the seven-sided he drum, also known as the qi fang drum, which was created by famous Chinese musician and artistic director of the show He Xuntian. Each of the drum's sides has a different tuning. Song herself created what she calls a moon drum.
A touch of time
"As I arrived at this waterfront area for the first time, the impulse to deliver a live music performance immediately jumped into my mind," Song said.
As the former site of the oldest cement plant in Shanghai, the west bank area of the Huangpu River played an important role in urban construction.
"The area carries a feel of the historic vicissitudes of the industrial age. The mother river has witnessed the city's development, and is also an essential part of its future," Song said.
Date: From June 10 on, 7:45 pm
Address: Near Longyao Road and Longteng Avenue in Xuhui Riverside Area
Tickets: By invitations only
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