The Secret Piano

From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations

De: Zhu Xiao-Mei, Ellen Hinsey - translator

Narrado por: Nancy Wu

Zhu Xiao-Mei was three years old when she saw her first piano, a cherished instrument introduced into her family’s Beijing home by her mother. Soon after, the child began to play, developing quickly into a prodigy who immersed herself in the work of such classical masters as Bach and Brahms. Her astonishing proficiency earned her a spot at the Beijing Conservatory at the tender age of 11, where she began laying the foundation for a promising career as a concert pianist. But in 1966, with the onset of the Cultural Revolution, life as she knew it ended abruptly.

The Communist Party’s campaign against culture forced the closure of art schools and resulted in the deportation of countless Chinese, including Xiao-Mei and her entire family. She spent five years in a work camp in Inner Mongolia, suffering under abysmal living conditions and a brutal brainwashing campaign. Yet through it all, Xiao-Mei kept her dream alive, drawing on the power of music to sustain her courage.

©2012 Zhu Xiao-Mei (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Interesting and Honest

I've had this in my audio queue for a long time. I only found it through the "read this book next" emails that I get from publishers. I'm glad I didn't miss this one. Concert Pianist relives her days in China before and after the cultural revolution. Brutally honest, and still dealing with the guilt of her actions while in childhood, but able to convey the real story. I've never been very taken with Bach. Not enough fire! Give me Motzart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff! But I can see why Bach saved her, and I'm glad I read her story,and have now found her mp3s on itunes. Anyone who loves music should read this story. I learned as a musician, and as a human.

I will say I was surprised at how brutally honest she was. She carried alot of guilt over her childhood and teen actions due to the brainwashing in the Cultural Revolution. ITs heartbreaking. Something she said really stuck with me. She is now a Christian, although she doesn't proselytize about it. Instead, quite the opposite. She mentioned a church or group she went to that was preaching Christianity the way Mao was preached in China. Of course, she didn't stick with that group. In fact, America didn't free her to worship. Food for thought.

Great story, great for learning

Where does The Secret Piano rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In addition to being a great story, it is also a great way for those unfamiliar with the Chinese Cultural Revolution to learn about one of the strangest (and violent) social movements in modern history.

Such an inspiring, true story!

As a feminist, a pianist, and a lover of history, this story had everything. We've all learned the bare minimum about the Chinese Cultural Revolution and how professionals and academics were sent away to work camps to be re-educated. This is the true story of a young woman who is a piano prodigy, learning on the secret piano in their house. As she begins her formal education at the conservatory, the revolution makes its inroads in shocking ways and she is swept up into its ideals, then she and her family are separated and sent away. It's fascinating to see how this happens so easily and insidiously.

I don't want to give away anymore than I already have, but her journey from this is only the beginning of her trials and tribulations...and triumphs. Because of her specializing in Bach and, specifically the Goldberg Variations, I ordered the music for myself and have been working through it. Even if you're not a musician, this whole saga will keep you riveted. The narrator does an excellent job of pronouncing the Chinese authentically, yet keeping it understandable to the American ear.

Interesting

Childhood, start of education, re-education in the labor camps. Many lost dreams because of Mao's Cultural Revolution. But then she started again. Great and unusual story of artistic development and human self-determination.

Best book on Mao's cultural revolution and piano music

I love Nancy Wu's narration and it sounds so right for a Chinese themed book.

I recommend this to anyone interested in piano music/Bach's work/the cultural revolution of Mao/China. This book is perfect for me because I'm a Chinese (but not from China) and I can play the piano.

The words are not difficult and yet the story is so rich. I cried throughout.

Familiar story from my moms generation told in English

First part in China is so familiar because my parents grew up in the same era, but when written in English, it’s almost surreal like made up. Even George owell can’t make up stories so inhuman, but that’s true history. The parts after she fled China, I can sort of relate too, but I was a lot more luckier.

The eternal fight for Music

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Secret Piano?

When a piano - a PIANO - was smuggled into a Chinese labor camp! It was astounding!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! It was a riveting listen, making a long bus trip go by much quicker than it otherwise would have. It is not an easy read, but lest we forget...

Any additional comments?

This book is definitely very musically technical, but you don't need to be familiar with all things musical to appreciate the struggle present under an oppressive government regime.

The True Meaning Of Grit

Recently I have been learning about the meaning of GRIT. I think this novel embodies that word, yet not in the aggressive and forceful nature of GRIT as we would imagine it, rather by the quite persistent perseverance of that pianist.

Beautiful, Shocking and Courageous

An intimate journey of an artist struggling to survive the late 1950's Chinese revolution. I found it to be educational and amazing. The narrator does an excellent job of sharing the horror, the despair and the elation penned by the author. The accompanying music is beautiful and haunting.

Great Story, Awful Reader

If you could sum up The Secret Piano in three words, what would they be?

Independent human spirit.

What did you like best about this story?

Zhu Xiao-Mei's story is highly interesting and sad. She lived through the Cultural Revolution as a music conservatory student. Her conservatory was shut down by the Maoist regime, first by burning all of the music scores, then by humiliation and violence toward the professors and students (and using the conservatory as a mass grave to store bodies), then by sending the students to labor camps to "reeducate" them. The fact that music wasn't allowed in China yet she still managed to become a concert pianist in France and the United States is inspiring. Besides her background, I most enjoyed her musical philosophizing wherein she recounted things her professors had taught her, what she learned from personal practice, and what it was like having a passion for music and not being allowed to play it. This is definitely a book a musician can pick up and be VERY inspired (comes with a jargon warning label for the non-musician, though).

Would you listen to another book narrated by Nancy Wu?

No—at least not one that contains musical jargon or recounts stories death and oppression. She would be a good reader of children's books, but sometimes read very dark parts in the book with a giddy excitement that confused me. Some musical words she mispronounced were Bach, opus (she said "op" instead of "opus"!), scherzo, Mozart, pianist (!!!) (I know that one's debatable, but musicians I think only pronounce it one way: pi-AN-ist), and about 3 or 4 others. Because these are everyday words for me, I found her chronic musical mispronunciations so annoying that I began reading the book on Kindle instead. And as I mentioned, she read the scenes about the devastation the Cultural Revolution caused under communist dictator Mao Zedong as if she were reading "Pippi Longstocking" to a child, so that was annoying too. Her biggest plus was her Chinese pronunciation, which was very helpful to me because I know nothing about it and would have otherwise been lost.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Although it did not make me cry, it inspired me to think more about music's role in being an expression of the independent human spirit. When a regime attacks music, art, and literature, there's something about those things that they want to prevent. People bent on control know that in order to have people wrapped around their fingers, they need to eliminate expression. It's part of their attempt to kill the soul. Passion for these things, however, can't die. That makes musicians, artists and writers (even if they're just little kids) dangerous to despots.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended book!