Concert Review: Min Xiao-Fen

In Concert

Min Xiao-Fen
December 13, 1997
Bridgeport, CT

I seemed to be blessed with access to some of the nation's truly wonderful and obscure venues living here in Connecticut. Hidden on little side streets and neighborhoods are places to hear music from around the world. The latest find is the Harborview Market, in Bridgeport. This little mom-and-pop grocery store and deli has recently expanded, and part of their plan includes community space for kids to come after school and for the neighbors to come play chess and chat over a cup of coffee.

This fall found them hosting a 13 week series of musical programs that was as adventurous and visionary as any major venue in New York City. In cooperation with local schools and a new neighborhood community center, Joseph Celli and his Korean Performing Arts Institute brought an amazing array of performers to Bridgeport to do school programs and grass-roots concerts at the Harborview Market. Avant garde tuba and mandolin, African drummers, percussive jazz, blues guitar, improvisational Korean music, Puerto Rican folk and native American jazz and blues were presented by world renowned known artists.

I caught two of the programs. On December 6 native American musician Mixashawn came to play his mouth bows, whistles and saxophones, treating the audience of school kids, young adults, parents and seniors to his unique version of American history, politics and cultural development, and playing music that spanned five centuries of the American landscape.

Min at the market
Min at The Harborview Market
photo: Charmaine Rohde
On December 13, acclaimed pipa player Min Xiao-Fen performed a set of traditional and modern works for the Chinese lute. It was a truly inspiring concert, one of those rare shows you'll remember a long time. Min is an accomplished and acclaimed instrumentalist, with credits that include work with Nanjing National Music Orchestra as soloist, and then with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the San Francisco Opera Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the adventurous new music ensemble, No World.

This evening she came to perform a number of traditional pieces for solo pipa that ranged from gentle laments of aching beauty to a riveting "Ambush From All Sides," an ancient work describing a military battle that literally exploded from the instrument. Perhaps most exciting was that this audience of 60 in a little grocery store in Connecticut got to hear the world premiere of "C-A-G-E" by renowned composer Tan Dun. This work, while minimalist on form, kept an audience that included a significant number of young kids silent, attentive, and ultimately thrilled. - Cliff Furnald

Min Xiao-Fen can be heard on two readily available recordings, Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night (Aspodel), an album of traditional works, and on The Moon Rising (Cala Records/UK), an album of music for pipa and ruan. She will also be part of a unique concert in Bridgeport CT on February 15 called "No World Improvistions" where she will join musicians from Korea, Senegal, Ghana and the US at the Discovery Museum at 2pm. More info on that is available from The Korean Performing Arts Institue.