Music captures the spirit of Wuhan

The four-movement piece tells the story of Wuhan enduring the pandemic early last year and its triumph over the crisis.

It will be the debut performance of the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra at the China Orchestra Festival. Shao will also lead the orchestra to perform Ode to the Red Flag by Chinese composer Lyu Qiming and the prelude to composer Guan Xia's Symphony No 1, The Years of Burning Passion.

"During those hard days, we didn't know when our lives would go back to normal. We felt sad, disappointed and scared. But there was hope. The pandemic give us a chance to rethink humanity and we want to record those days with music," says Zhang. "It will be a memorable concert since the date, April 8, is significant for Wuhan and the people of the city."

For Shao, who lives in Beijing and works as the head of the composition department of the China Conservatory of Music, it was also his wish to compose such a piece. He soon contacted composer Guan Xia, the former president of the China National Symphony Orchestra, who invited two of his students, young Chinese composer Huang Kairan and Yang Fan, to work together.

"Guan Xia had already started composing a new piece when I called him last March. Like many people, he watched lots of news about the pandemic at home and was deeply touched by the people who made great contributions to the fight against it," recalls Shao. "We shared the mutual understanding about the piece."

"The fight against the pandemic keeps people together. We wanted to do something and, as musicians, composing and performing music are the best ways," adds Shao. Led by Guan, the composers revised the piece more than 20 times since "the style of the piece needs to be consistent".

According to Zhang, when Reborn from the Fire premiered in Wuhan, the concert was also livestreamed across major social media platforms. Medical workers in Wuhan were invited to enjoy the concert.