Saxophonist Bendik Hofseth, 39, head of the Norwegian band is a diverse artist who has written music for ballet, movies and theatre in addition to performing with the symphony orchestra.

Bendik's music offers a wide variety of styles and moods from classical with a string and wind quintet to jazz and pop music.

Chinese music fans will be surprised to know that he is also a musician much admired by Cui Jian - "the father of Chinese rock & roll" - and Liu Yuanyi, a well known Chinese jazz musician. They admired him so much that they once made a special trip abroad for Bendik's performance.

"He is a rare imaginative and creative musician," said Cui. "His work is far beyond any classification of music."

Other members of the band include cellist Oystein Birkeland, pianist Vebjorn Anvik, electronic musician Jan Bang and drummer Audun Kleive.

Its Chinese counterpart will be Ziyue, a band famous for its humorous "song-telling" style.

Cui Jian has coined the band "opera-styled rock." In 1996, Cui helped them produce their first album "Ziyue, the First Issue."

Since then, critics have hailed its music "very Chinese, very modern, very rock and very folk."

The band was founded in 1994 and includes vocalist and bass player Qiu Ye, drummer Lu Xun, guitarist Wen Lin and Zhou Fei on the keyboard.

Their music also features some tunes from Chinese traditional operas and quyi performances.

Critics say humor in their songs is refreshing since most Chinese rock bands try to be serious and deep.

Critic Wang Xiaofeng considers their music a mixture of crosstalk (the Chinese art of debate performance) and rock.

Despite rave reviews, the band is very modest. "We don't think much about the style, we just sing what we feel," said Qiu, the leader of the band. "All my music comes from ordinary life and common people."

From the very beginning, Ziyue was careful to create their own music and never surrender to commercialism. In Qiu's eyes, "Following others or copying stale ideas are shameful."

They often sing about poverty and events in everyday life. All the songs have imagery and can at times be sarcastic, with sorrow and helplessness implied in seemingly humorous lyrics.

For example, in their song "Be Obedient," a son wants to share his ideas with his father who believes he has sacrificed everything for his son and always berates the boy to be obedient.

"Big Tree" is about an old tree that has lived in a courtyard for years before it was struck down by a thunderbolt. And "Things Happen in front of the Gate" depicts birds getting shot when they perch on wire poles in front of a gate.

"Hearing their songs, I have no idea whether I should laugh at the funny lyrics or cry for the implicit sadness," said Wan Jun from Beijing Pulay Music.

The best jazz and rock are, of course, experienced in a live performance and especially improvisation, since music is about communication between the musicians and the audience.

"Though we have never heard the music of the Norwegian band, I believe improvisation is the best way to play off each other," Qiu said.

Besides the two bands, the concert will also star Chinese erhu player Song Fei. The 31-year-old soloist will play "The Moon over the Second Spring" and "Turpan's Grapes Are Ripe."

"The first one is a classic piece and the later is a modern one. I really want to display the sounds played on the traditional Chinese instrument through the music of different styles," said Song.

(China Daily January 21, 2002)