With their latest project Monkey King - A Modern Beijiing Opera, Chi2 have fused the worlds of electro-acoustic music, film-making, theatre performance and one of the worlds most ancient artforms to create a most modern interpretation of a Beijing Opera. Bursting with colour, drama, energy and vibrancy, they have drawn on the classic Beijing Opera art form for inspiration and have composed an original soundtrack to complement the filmic interpretation of the storyline by Michele Rosaus, whilst award winning composer Tom Morrison has produced the score. The drama both aurally and visually, is enhanced by the interaction of narrator/actor Tom Wu, as he employs spoken word, narration from excerpts of Buddhist scriptures and his expertise in martial arts to convey the thrill-seeking adventures of the storyline. Their live show features Chinese drummers, exotic instruments, costumes by Mao Couture and a stunning light show by Niall Hannell (Gnarls Barkley, Super Furry Animals).
Chi2 are British-born violinists Liz and Sarah Liew who are a dynamic fusion of electric violins and electronic beats. Dubbed as "double violin assault specialists", Chi2 compose and perform a charismatic blend of east meets west rhythms and melodies. They are both classically trained violinists - Sarah also studied the jinghu and erhu in Beijing at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera. With their solid technical grounding and improvisational abilities, they have been a much in demand session duo and they have played with diverse artists such as Moby (touring for four years), Barry Adamson, Nelly Furtado, Gnarls Barkley, Goldfrapp, Boy George, KLF and Anastasia.
|
