One in a billion

In a country of 1.3 billion people, being the original is no easy feat. Yet, this is exactly what Xue Fei Yang has achieved. The first Chinese professional classical guitarist, Fei, as she likes to be called, has already made waves in both the Western and Chinese traditions of music making. Graceful and composed, her eyes sparkle with excitement as she discusses her newest recording, Sojourn, which was released earlier in July 2013. The recording is a compilation of her best pieces along with some newly released material. She explains, “A musical journey never stops. Each piece captures a certain moment; it’s like a snapshot of the past, to look back at some of my most beautiful musical moments and my evolution.” Her journey as a classical guitarist began when she was introduced to the instrument at the age of seven. Not long after, Fei was the first-ever guitarist to enter a music school in China (Beijing’s Central Conservatoire of Music).

She has since performed worldwide and was made a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2012, an honour held only by 300 people at any time. Fei’s success is a result of natural talent, hard work, and courage—not something easily achieved. She recalls, “I look back and I realize that I had chosen a way that no one had ever done before me. I had to make my own path, because there was no path for me to follow, which of course would have been easier. Also, in China there isn’t a tradition of classical guitar, unlike the piano or the violin.”

By paving the way and becoming an international star, Fei has become a role model in her native China. “Lots of young people [in China] see me having a good career, and I hope that I can make them realise that the guitar is a beautiful instrument.” Her passion for what she does is contagious. She speaks about the classical guitar and its music with the knowledge and experience of a veteran, yet with the enthusiasm and vigour of one who has just begun playing. “Personally, I always believed that the guitar the most well-rounded and self-entertaining instrument. It is so personal and intimate, as you have to hold a guitar with your body and to your heart.”

Fervent about raising awareness about the classical guitar in her home country, she explains, “The training and teaching system is very important when developing an instrument, and because the classical guitar is relatively new in China, there are very few qualified teachers. Whenever I have the chance to when I go back, I give master classes to Chinese students, just to explain some techniques and general methods.”

As Fei speaks, it becomes apparent that cultural awareness and diversity has influenced her heavily.  Being a Chinese musician playing a Western instrument, this comes as no surprise. “In a way Lang Lang and Yundi are incredible, because as Chinese we are practicing a Western art, and we were not born in the West. I find this especially important as a musician—you need to understand the culture as it really affects how you understand the music. Having been in London and Europe for 13 years, the subtlety of culture becomes more and more apparent. I’ve performed in 50 different countries so I’ve seen a lot of different cultures and lifestyles. Seeing all these variations changes your own way of thinking and how you live, and it makes me realize how my life was shaped by the way I was brought up.”

Despite her worldly outlook, she acknowledges that her Chinese background has both its advantages and shortcomings, especially in regards to its presence in the music world. She admits, “I think in the classical or pop music fields, Europe and the West dominates. It’s not balanced. Yet it is also because they are more developed. In China, the history of music is that it has always been oppressed, and unlike in Europe, musicians were never highly respected.”

Passionate about incorporating Chinese music into the classical guitar repertoire, Fei released her album 40 Degrees North in 2008. Named after the identical latitude on which both Madrid and Beijing lie on, the album consists of both Spanish and original Chinese pieces. She explains, “As a Chinese musician I wanted to play my own music, my own instrument. I wanted to contribute—even in a small way—to awaken awareness in the West, of Asian and Oriental culture.” For her performance in London’s Wigmore Hall this November, she will give a world premiere a piece written for her by Chen Yi, a renowned Chinese composer based in the USA.

With Sojourn poised as a snapshot of the past, a look back at her musical journey, what does Fei hope to achieve in the future? While she admits that she has many plans and goals, one thing high on her list is to raise the bar for the classical guitar. She expresses frustration about the smaller repertoire of the classical guitar, compared to instruments such as the violin or the piano, citing it as one of the key reasons the classical guitar is not as widely known or respected worldwide.

“The piano has 36 fantastic Beethoven sonatas, Chopin, Brahms, Mozart, all these amazing composers, which we classical guitarists don’t have to play. I believe that an instrument cannot always play transcriptions; we also have to play pieces which are written specifically for us, which is why I want to do more commissioned pieces. If you want to have the highest quality of pieces, you have to ask the leading composers of the modern era. To do so, you need to be an accomplished player and have sponsors.”

Fei has already begun thinking about achieving her grand plans in the form of a music foundation. “I’ve had many people approach me wanting to buy my transcriptions, so I’m thinking about using the money which I earn from that into commissioning new pieces, to contribute and add to the repertoire of the classical guitar. Sometimes I’ll be playing a wonderful piece commissioned by the previous leading generation of guitarists so that our generation would benefit from that. I want to do the same for the next generation, and also contribute to the Chinese repertoire because I know there are many guitar players in China are searching for that.”

Besides commissioning new pieces, Fei also expresses her desire to give back to her native country. “To be able to play and enjoy music is such a beautiful thing, I cannot imagine my life without it. Still in China there are still so many people living in poverty, and I wish that they could have music in their lives, to transform their lives. In the future I hope to do some work in this area to help kids realise how wonderful music is.”

With all her accomplishments and ambitions, none would be possible without her passion, which shines through the most throughout the conversation. A true lover of music and her instrument, she exclaims,  “My final goal is that when people listen to my music, will just feel that the music is so beautiful and just enjoy it, and forget about what instrument is playing. For me that is the highest, ultimate state—to enjoy the music and find its essence. At the end of the day, we are there to make music and move people.”