The pipe organ, with its thousands of whistles and massive wooden lungs, is the quintessential voice of Western sacred music. Yet for Hong Kong organist Eric Chan’s latest cross-cultural project, he shares the stage with the piercing cries of the suona – a traditional Chinese woodwind whose melodies have echoed through rural villages for centuries.
Played in this project by Guo Yazhi and Chrysoberyl Chan – Eric Chan’s partner in life and music – the suona bridges a vast cultural divide, showing that the regal tones of the organ and the fluid vocals of the suona are made for one another.
