Grand Chinese New Year Concert 2007 Hulusi Concerto by Hou Yanqiu

Title: The Countryside Ballad (Tian ge 田歌) Orchestra: China Traditional Orchestra of Zhejiang Soloist: Hou Yanqiu 侯彦秋 Venue: Moscow International Hall of Music The hulusi 葫芦丝 The hulusi (which means gourd silk, referring to the instrument s silky tone) or huluxiao 葫芦箫 ( gourd vertical flute ) is an endblown free reed pipe with gourd windchest. Single pipe specimens are rare, most hulusi have a melody pipe and one to two drone pipes. Each pipe has a triangular free reed made of brass. The hulusi is most commonly associated with the Dai minority (who call it bilangdao 筚朗叨), but it is also found under other names amongst other minority groups of Southern China such as the De ang, Wa and others. The drone pipe has a finger hole, which allows it to be stopped. Advanced configurations have keyed finger holes similar to a clarinet or oboe, which can greatly extend the range of the hulusi to several octaves, and a slidewhistle like mechanism that can tune the hulusi to a desired pitch. The sound of the hulusi