Nine Songs

is a music, movement and theatre performance inspired by a 2,000-2,500-year-old anthology of ancient Chinese Romantic poetry centered on shamanic relationships between human beings and deities that embody the natural world. It is commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla, supported by the British Council International Collaboration Grant, and produced by *Feng Ling Productions. The outdoor version premiered in November, 2022.*
This project is now on hold due to legal disputes regarding harassment and breach of contract through inappropriate conduct on the part of the production company.

RUI FU lead vocals
CHAO TIAN chinese dulcimer & sibao
JOJI HIROTA percussion, vocals & shakuhachi
NINA HARRIES double bass & vocals
PREETHA NARAYANAN violin & vocals
RUTH WALL harp & vocals
XIAOGANG ZENG guqin & vocals

RUI FU co-director: conception, story development
FAROOQ CHAUDHRY co-director: adaptation, stage direction
JOCELYN POOK music direction
GENI LOU creative production
MARIE CANTENYS & MARGAUX LALANNE set & costume design
FABIANA PICCIOLI lighting design
FRED DEFAYE & JOCELYN POOK sound design
BLUE PIETA dramaturgy
FAROOQ CHAUDHRY, GENI LOU & RUI FU movement direction
SANDER LOONEN (ARP THEATRE) production manager
FRED DEFAYE sound engineer
JOCELYN POOK, RUI FU, ENSEMBLE COLLABORATION music compositions

A Musical Spectacular Rings In The Newest Outdoor Cultural Program Amidst The Breathtaking Sandstone Formations In Saudi Arabia’s ‘Valley Of The Arts’

”Fu views the world with the same wonder she believes our ancestors once held, and she creates a musical space through which she can transport the memories of the past into visions for the future.”

这场颇具仪式感的表演以埃尔奥拉雄伟壮观的砂岩峭壁和峡谷为背景，重新建构艺术、景观和人类之间崇高、细腻和古老的纽带，将音乐和动作与周围地形呼应相联。……伴随着自然作为统一力量贯穿其中，这场将于日落时分在沙漠中的圆形舞台上演的音乐表演，试图探索不同文化中的仪式和实践的共性。

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Concert in a Saudi Desert Brings Global Artists Together

“Her voice is almost a howling moan of desperation; her words resemble an ancient tongue. Then slowly, the ensemble that encircles her—a violin, a harp, taiko drums, a Chinese dulcimer and guqin—begins to join in and perform a concert of rich and harmonising music paying tribute to ancient rituals that celebrate human life.”

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Iwona Blazwick Curates Site-Specific Installations at Wadi AlFann in AlUla

“Nine Songs promoted the commonality of rituals and practices between cultures and the use of nature as a catalyst between them.
‘She takes forms from ancient Chinese poetry and then makes it into something very 21st century, very contemporary, locking it into this extraordinary context…This idea about the past in the present is something that informed Rui’s work.’”
- Iwona Blazwick OBE

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Trailer for Indoor Theatre Version