Wang Wei (701-761), a Tang Dynasty Chinese poet and musician, painter, and statesman, was born in 701. His quatrains, which depict quiet scenes of water and mist with few details and no human presence, are his most well-known works. He affirms the beauty of the world, but questions its ultimate reality. This project was inspired by Wang Wei’s translation of his poetry. Emmanuel Baily, a keen student of Chinese poetry language, wanted to go beyond his curiosity to discover how the endless subtleties of the language, as well as the beauty of emerging images or movement could impact his approach to composition. This unusual instrumentation (cello), which is dedicated to melodic and creative developments, leads us through jazz, contemporary, and classical music. In December 2008, the band created “A new cartography” contemporary dance-music work with Yiphun Chiem(Cambodia-Belgium) and Wang Wei 4tet in “theatre des Doms” Avignon, France. In January 2010 the band will also take part to the Pointe to Point programme 2010 in Bangkok (Thailand) with the artistic collaboration of the dancers and choreographers Cathy Seago (UK), Mei-Yin (USA-MALAYSIA), Jing-Xi(CHINA), Rannva Karadottir (DK) from http://homerecords.be
