Huang Ruo

I met Huang Ruo in 2008 when I first performed his solo violin piece, Four Fragments. Although it is a very difficult piece, I really enjoyed working on it with him; I particularly enjoyed the insights he gave me into the folk music of northern China and Mongolia. It was inspiring to hear him speak about these places. I recently revisited Four Fragments in Journaling (part one), and I hope to play it again soon!

Dufallo: Can you describe some of your musical influences?

Huang Ruo: My musical influences are very broad, ranging from the Renaissance to the present; from world music, to rock, avant-garde, and noise, etc.

Dufallo: Your compositions often fuse different styles and genres of music into an organic whole. Can you describe your creative process?

Huang Ruo: I like to find the fundamental "cells" of various things, and then to create new things based on those "cells." Sometimes, two styles or genres might seem to be very different on the surface, but their basic "cell" could be very similar. What lies deep inside is what really matters ...

Dufallo: Can you describe the process of composing Four Fragments? What ideas came to you first, and how did you develop and change them?

Huang Ruo: With Four Fragments, I played with the idea of re-interpreting my abstract memories.

Dufallo: What do you feel is the role of the artist in modern society?

Huang Ruo: An artist is not just an entertainer, but also is someone who leads society in the creation of new cultures, while also re-interpreting history.

Dufallo: Do you have any advice for young composers?

Huang Ruo: Speaking as one of the young composers, I am always amazed at how creative my colleagues are. I will say this: let's all keep up with what we are doing, while not asking too much about what we are doing. Unconsciousness sometimes can bring great results.