If human relationships are complicated, then geopolitical ones are manifold more, particularly when it’s between two global superpowers. Such is the nature of the rising tensions between the USA and China, who have never had an easy time navigating their complex differences, rivalry and connections, playing hot and cold. It may seem like a heavy topic, but one Singaporean artist has found inspiration in the two nations’ shared history, as Ming Wong presents Rhapsody in Yellow: A Lecture Performance with Two Pianos.

Playing as part of the Esplanade’s The Studios series, Rhapsody in Yellow was originally commissioned by steirischer herbst ’22 and Singapore Art Museum, making its premiere in Austria before touring to Berlin, where Ming is based. The work itself is categorised as a ‘musical lecture-performance’, part history lesson part concert part film, as it traces the journey of Sino-American “ping-pong” diplomacy over 50 years ago, starting with President Richard Nixon’s historic state visit to communist China and his meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong.

What actually happens onstage is a piano double concerto, where pianists Ben Kim and Mark Taratushkin play George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and China’s Yellow River Piano Concerto. The audience watches them duet and improvise, all while watching archival images and footage accompanied by narration, exploring the role of European classical music, modernism and myth-making in both nations. “The title itself is a direct reference to both Rhapsody in Blue and the Yellow River Piano Concerto, splicing both together and representing how culturally important they are to their respective countries,” says Ming. “The two pianists onstage embody this idea of negotiation through classical music, almost like having a dialogue with each other.”

“This whole project actually stems from an experiment I did in 2018 for Hong Kong’s Para Site, which explored the colonial legacy of classical music and opera. During my research phase, I ended up finding plenty of moving image media related to both piano concertos, and I realised that they both were around the same duration, and both integral to nation-building efforts as symbols. That was also around the 50th anniversary meeting of Richard Nixon and Chairman Mao, which kickstarted the trajectory of modern diplomatic relations between the USA and China, and I thought, why not try putting the two pieces together?” he continues. “I was bracing myself for it to sound just like chaos and noise, but surprisingly, there turned out to be plenty of serendipitous synchronicity, and it felt almost like poetry.”

Those ideas were what led to the initial version of Rhapsody in Yellow becoming a video work and installation, before Ming further developed it into the live performance it is today. “I’m not a composer, so I knew I needed to find someone to help me out. I met Taiwanese-American composer Henry Hao-An Cheng, and discussed the idea with him, and he came onboard, experimenting and meeting with me where we’d figure out how to craft an orchestral score that would fuse both concertos,” says Ming. “The next stage would be to actually present it, and that came in the form of Austrian arts festival steirischer herbst ’22, which platforms interdisciplinary and more experimental work. They commissioned us, and we began to develop the work further, incorporating the other documentary elements such as Nixon and Mao’s iconic handshake that marked the start of diplomatic relations between the USA and China.”

Ming goes on to explain the significance of that handshake in 1972, for two leaders on opposite ends of the spectrum to acknowledge and see each other, and the 50 years of diplomacy that took place from there that included, of all things, ping-pong amidst Cold War tensions. “China invited the American table tennis team for a friendly match, and they were the first delegation to enter Communist China since gaining power in 1949,” says Ming. “It sent waves of curiosity, and produced the possibility that there could be a sincere desire for engagement, softening relations and eventually leading to the handshake, and leading to other soft power events across sports and music and education.”

Ming describes the actual concert itself as a classical concert meets live film meets live theatre, itself ping-ponging between archival material and contemporary live performance, unpacking the surprising links between both concertos, such as similar musical stylings, or how there were parallels between the two composers in their career. “The flow of the show is that it sets up the sociohistorical context through archival materials, where you get to see visual evidence of what was happening at the time, including plenty of news footage and parts of speeches that express the desire to cross boundaries and build a new world,” says Ming.

“There are many complex emotions involved over the evolution of this relationship, and it becomes clear how there are still so many issues and tensions today still linked to that. It’s poignant seeing how much things have changed and how far we’ve come since that moment, and as Singaporeans, the significance comes about thinking about our own diplomatic ties in being a friend to both, navigating our space between these two superpowers. All of it comes down to a relationship that cannot be fully expressed in words, and that’s why music and sound are somehow able to capture that in their abstractness. It’s emotional storytelling that needs you to open your ears and listen, and there’s a special kind of pleasure in that.”

Ming also assures us that it will not be an overload of facts, with plenty of humour and pathos, a bittersweet piece almost, that explores the tensions amidst the harmony and chaos of the USA and China. “As an artist, my job really is to humanise the history of it all, not to pose it as a lecture or dogma. It’s about telling a story where you can find an entry point. So as political as it gets, you’ll still end up meeting all these characters through the act of storytelling, from Gershwin to Leonard Bernstein, and learn how Rhapsody in Blue was used to promote the American identity globally, alongside the Chinese composers behind Yellow River,” says Ming. “Then of course there’s the politicians, with Nixon, Kissinger, Zhou Enlai, and how all these figures played a part in the mythmaking of the 20th century.”

Speaking about what he hopes audience members take away from the plethora of information that will be handed to them over the course of the performance, Ming explains how it boils back down to taking on new perspectives of history and politics. “It all boils down to how there will always be differences in leadership and ideologies, and how open they are to listening to each other. In a world where we are now bombarded by so many different voices, it can be hard to see beyond your own echo chambers and have clarity in the big picture,” says Ming. “If the powers that be are not in dialogue or not in a state of continual communication, things can easily break down or be misconstrued. It ends up being a reminder that we shouldn’t let go of the efforts that have been made throughout history, and that it is never going to be a smooth journey.”

Reflecting on his own artistic journey up to this point, Ming considers the joy he felt in being able to create this performance, fully-intended to be performed live. “I think that so many artists are rushing to be a part of this singularity within the high tech world, where we think it’s a solution to all our problems, at the expense of forgetting much more human forms of existence which we are in peril of losing – all linked back to the human touch,” he says. “As an artist, we should continue to remain interested in cultural identity and how we connect to each other via culture and arts. How then can we reconcile progress and technology with the human touch? These will likely get more problematic as time goes on, and so, I would like to continue developing liveness amidst this push towards the digital.”

And that’s something he’s certainly looking forward to as well. “I’m really thankful and grateful to work on a project like this. I was lucky to have lived in a time where I observed all these different patterns of society all over the world, and developed that sense of curiosity from my vantage point in Singapore, which I guess set me up to contrast what’s happening today, the past and what’s to come,” says Ming. “And growing up in Singapore, you really take note of multiple perspectives, and that’s also what’s allowed my work to respond to different audience and perspectives in different ways, particularly with the ability to take a look at these historical events from a more nuanced point of view, as opposed to say if I were American or Chinese. This showing of Rhapsody in Yellow marks a homecoming for the work that’s only been shown in Austria and Germany so far. Compared to how those countries are considered the cradle of Western classical music, in Singapore, here we are at the crossroads of culture, mixing East and West, and it would be interesting to see how the local audience responds to this.”

“Call me a bit of a restless artistic soul, but I’m thankful that I’ve never confined myself to any one mode of expression or topic, constantly responding to all these different possibilities and excited by the potential of how to express or explore these ideas through the best form,” he adds. “And even if I’m limited in the spheres I’m less familiar with, I try to find opportunities to collaborate with other artists and creatives, which is a kind of art in and of itself. Maybe all of this came from how I grew up watching plenty of film and theatre, which are themselves multidisciplinary forms, and most recently, in a post-COVID world, I’ve been drawn ever more to live work, away from our black mirrors of screens. There’s an excitement in bringing this work to an audience experiencing it in real time, to share in this collective experience, this emotional journey, and to feel connected to a fellow human being when confronted with these stories.”

Rhapsody in Yellow plays from 16th to 17th August 2024 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre. Tickets available here

The Studios 2024 – Fault Lines runs from July to September 2024 at the Esplanade. Tickets and full programme available here

Production Credits:

Concept, Text and Video Ming Wong  Music Direction Henry Hao-An Cheng  Piano Ben Kim, Mark Taratushkin Music conceived by Ming Wong, Henry Hao-An Cheng  Arranged by Christopher Schlechte-Bond  Cinematography and Lighting Liam Morgan  Camera Assistance Elias Fritz  Technical Direction Torsten Podraza  Production Management Mariko Mikami