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Zhao Jiping

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Zhao Jiping is a Chinese composer, born in August 1945 in Pingliang in Gansu province and originally from Shaanxi. He studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He became known above all for his film music for directors of the so-called Fifth Generation, and in particular for Zhang Yimou. Later he became honorary chairman of the Chinese Musicians' Association.

Music and breakthrough

His film music includes Yellow Earth, Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Ju, 霸王别姬 (Farewell My Concubine), Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker, To Live, The Emperor and the Assassin and A Chinese Odyssey. He also wrote for the television series The Water Margin and Three Kingdoms. Much of this music has been released on album, such as Farewell My Concubine (1993), Raise the Red Lantern (1994) and The First Emperor (1998). In addition, The Magic Notes Of Zhao Jiping appeared in 2014.

Influence

Zhao Jiping's music is known for the way it links Chinese melodies and instruments from his own region to the image. In this way he contributed to the international success of Chinese cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. Anyone who knows Zhang Yimou's films also knows his sound: the music is so strongly bound up with those images that it is hard to imagine without the film. His work shows how film music can become part of a country's musical history.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to an excerpt from the film music for Raise the Red Lantern or Farewell My Concubine. Notice the Chinese instruments and how the music carries the mood of the image.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists