20 Monday, May 14, 2018 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Chinese musicians enthrall on tour

BUCHAREST— Applause and loud cheer­ ing greeted the finale of a third encore as the audi­ ence in Bucharest’s Athe­ naeum Hall showed their appreciation for the April 23 performance by the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of its tour across southeastern Europe that includes Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, the A huqin player and a vocalist perform together with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on May 5 to celebrate a new performance season. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Hangzhou Philharmonic mesmerized the Romanian audience with The Flying Dutchman Overture, The Butterfly Lovers violin con­ certo and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances Op 45. So enraptured by the NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS music and the perform­ ance, the audience urged the recital of three more pieces from the east China The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra kicks off its new performance season with a showcase of orchestra: one by Paganini and two Chinese classical traditional musical works from Northwest China. Zhang Kun reports. compositions. A combination of touch­ ing solos by violinist Ning he Shanghai Chinese gentle side of Chinese national Feng and a powerful Orchestra celebrated music, and will find an exclu­ orchestral performance, the opening of its sive sound or expression for conducted by Yang Yang, new performance each hero,” he said. held the audience in thrall. season with a concert of musicT Hero will be performed on The Butterfly Lovers vio­ from Northwest China at the Dec 15, under the baton of lin concerto was particu­ Shanghai Grand Theatre on Tang Muhai, chief guest con­ larly well received. May 5. ductor and honorary artistic Although the love story it A series of new composi­ director of the SHCO. depicts is sad, the music tions premiered at the concert, “Musicians at the SCHO was acclaimed by some in which showcased local and view their instruments as if the audience as “marvelous traditional musical elements they are priceless antiques and breathtaking”. from Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi from the Palace Museum,” provinces, Ningxia Hui auton­ Tang says in a video clip cele­ omous region and Xinjiang brating the SHCO’s new sea­ Uygur autonomous region. son. “Each sound we make Vocalists and instrumentalists speaks of the beauty of Chinese from these northwestern prov­ culture — just like our lan­ inces and regions took the lead guage. It’s time for the world to alongside musicians from the know about China’s culture, SHCO. and China’s music.” The concert gave a glimpse Earlier this year, the SHCO of the mission and style of the concerts that are popular with guzheng shares a similar quali­ made a successful European SHCO, said Luo Xiaoci, direct­ young audiences,” Luo says. ty of sound with the sitar, an tour, New Oriental, which fea­ or of the company. The SHCO Among the highlights for instrument used widely in tra­ tured the sound of an ancient was founded in 1952, and was the 2018­19 season will be a ditional Indian and Middle flute made from a bone that the first large­scale modern concert production commis­ Eastern music. dates back 8,000 years, as well Artists of Hangzhou Phil­ orchestra to feature Chinese sioned from Shanghai­based “A conversation can be as compositions by contempo­ harmonic Orchestra perform instruments in the country. composer Huang Lei. achieved between these rary Chinese artists such as on April 23 in Bucharest, Luo summarized the compa­ Under the title, The Com­ instruments and the music Zhao Jiping and Tan Dun. Romania. LIN HUIFEN / XINHUA ny’s mission as “presenting mon Home, Huang will bring styles,” he says. “I am working Last year, the orchestra pre­ Chinese music with an inter­ together signature music closely with musicians at the miered a new symphonic pro­ “This concert has been national vision and a contem­ styles and instruments from SHCO to explore all kinds of duction Shanghai Odyssey — medicine to my soul, they porary style”. around the globe to create a possibilities.” The Bund during the China are exceptionally good and The SHCO has been com­ concert about “the destiny of The new production is Shanghai International Arts it’s amazing that such a missioning new compositions all humanity”. scheduled to premiere on Nov Festival, a piece created by Ger­ young orchestra, only nine with artists from both home “Social development has 3, during the China Shanghai man composer Christian Jost. years since its creation, is so and abroad. By constantly caused serious environmental Top: Bamboo flute and dramyin performers work with the International Arts Festival. Since then Shanghai Odys­ skillful,” says Romanian bringing out new composi­ issues, and this is a problem we Shanghai Chinese Orchestra as part of the performance at the Also due to premiere in the sey has toured extensively, musician, conductor and tions and music productions, all face,” Huang says. “We are Shanghai Grand Theatre. Above: A suona artist and a ballad singer new season is a concert about performing in Beijing and professor of music, Nicolae the SHCO has brought Chinese all in it together, and I want to perform with the same orchestra. Chinese mythology named Guangzhou. Racu, who has been playing folk music to a variety of differ­ address the topic by combin­ Hero, by composer Li Bochan. “It was a great way to intro­ Chinese classical music for ent audiences. ing traditional Chinese instru­ “I will create a symphonic epic, duce Shanghai to other parts the past 40 years. “In the past few years we ments with folk music from all music from around the world eign instruments that would with each chapter named after of China,” Luo says. Racu adds that the have presented heavyweight over the world.” in an attempt to find musical fit well with a Chinese orches­ an ancient Chinese hero,” he young Chinese orchestra productions that reflect the Together with musicians elements that would suit being tra, Huang tells China Daily. says. “I will work hard to Contact the writer at has already garnered a ven­ main theme of our times, as from the SHCO, Huang is mak­ performed on Chinese instru­ For example, the traditional present the depth and dignity, zhangkun@ erable reputation due to its well as lighthearted chamber ing extensive studies of folk ments, while looking for for­ Chinese stringed instrument as well as the exquisite and chinadaily.com.cn depth of talent. During the concert, exclamations of “bravo” and “incredible” could be If you go heard emanating from vari­ Dance drama pays tribute to ous areas of the hall, with one concertgoer, 50­year­ 7:30 pm, June 30 to July 3. old biologist, Mariana, landmark railway project NCPA, No 2 West Chang’an describing the perform­ Avenue, Xicheng district, ance as “powerful and awe­ Beijing. 010­6655­0000 some,” adding that she was By CHEN NAN came about, he says: “I have dance drama. And he then impressed with “the Chi­ [email protected] traveled several times to Tibet decided to use song in the nese sensitivity” for the and I was impressed by the dance drama. music. In 2001, when composer Yin beautiful scenery and the The dance drama, titled many stories. People even Yang says: “We came to Qing read the news about the local people. It is a magical Road to Tibet, will make its sacrificed their lives for the southeastern Europe start of the construction of the and inspiring place.” debut at the NCPA over June railway.” because we know the region Qinghai­Tibet Railway, he was The Beijing­based compos­ 30­July 3. The drama’s creative team has a very rich tradition of very excited and wanted to do er, who along with his friend, Speaking about the unique and dancers from the Jilin classical music and the reac­ a song on the subject. lyricist Qu Yuan, Yin wrote a subject of the dance drama, Director Wang Ge (third right) and the main cast of Road to Tibet Municipal Ensemble of Songs tion of the audience con­ The railway, which is 1,956 song, titled Road to Heaven. NCPA’s vice­president Zhao at a news conference for the dance drama in NCPA in Beijing. and Dances, traveled to Qing­ firmed my expectations.” kilometers long, is the world’s And it was later performed by Tiechun says: “The construc­ PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY hai and Tibet in August, and Violinist Ning notes that highest line, and the longest pop star Han Hong and tion of Qinghai­Tibet Railway were inspired to use elements one of his inspirations is his built on a single plateau. At its became one of Han’s best­ was a key project of the coun­ of local Tibetan music and Romanian counterpart, the highest point, it is 5,072 known hits. try’s 40­year reform and open­ phase of the railway, especial­ Speaking about the change, dances for the dance drama. late Ion Voicu. meters above sea level. In July 2016, when the ing­up. And people from ly the friendships between the Wang says: “We visited Speaking about what he “It’s an honor for me to The railway connecting National Center for the Per­ around world have enjoyed construction workers and the people who were involved in hopes to project through the come here, because when Tibet with the rest of world, forming Arts decided to pro­ unique culture of Tibet by Tibetan people. the construction of the dance drama, Wang says: “We we studied music, we were links Xining — the capital of duce a dance drama to mark traveling on the railway.” One thing that is unique railway and listened to their want not only to showcase deeply influenced by the Qinghai province — with Lha­ the 12th anniversary of the Meanwhile, according to about this dance drama by stories. And then we realized how hard people worked for music from southeastern sa, the capital of the Tibet opening of the Qinghai­Tibet the show’s director Wang Ge, Wang is that it has 11 lead roles that it was not enough to just the railway, but also to show Europe.” autonomous region. Railway, Yin was invited to be the drama is based on real sto­ unlike his earlier shows which have just two or three lead the hopes, the beliefs, and the Explaining how the song the music director of the ries from the construction have fewer lead characters. roles because there were so dreams of the local people.” XINHUA