Orchestras combine for new symphony

Last year, when live shows were canceled and concert halls closed down due to the coronavirus epidemic, Wu Lingfeng, president of Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, was planning a new season when he was struck by an idea-why not commission a new piece and perform it with musicians drawn from symphony orchestras all over China?

Faced with the uncertainty of when live shows would resume and concert halls would reopen, Wu called his friend, president of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Nie Bing, to share the idea. Feeling excited, they soon contacted the heads of other symphony orchestras and commissioned young Chinese composer Wang Danhong to write a special piece on the theme of paying tribute to the country and its people.

A year later, with the epidemic largely under control and concerts filling auditoria around the country once more, the new piece, titled The Light of Mind, premiered at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 4, as part of the ongoing China Orchestra Festival. The monthlong event is presenting 21 concerts featuring 22 symphony orchestras from 14 provinces across the country.

Under the baton of conductor Zhang Guoyong, nearly 150 musicians from the symphony orchestras of Sichuan, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Qingdao, Wuhan and Harbin formed one large ensemble and performed the new composition.

With four chapters, the new symphonic piece was inspired by the patriotic Chinese song, Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China, written by Cao Huoxing (1924-99) in 1943.

"Chinese audiences are very familiar with the song, which will make the symphonic piece easy to enjoy," says the composer, Wang, who is known for her compositions for traditional Chinese musical instruments.

She also used brass instruments to deliver the triumphant final chapter, so as to give her best wishes for the country's bright future.

A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music in 2003 and Central Conservatory of Music in 2010, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and PhD degrees in composition, Wang has been working with China National Traditional Orchestra since 2010.

"It's an honor to have musicians from the six Chinese symphony orchestras premiere my work. These musicians are at the top of their respective fields and they fully express emotions through music," says Wang.

During the concert, the ensemble also performed Ode to the Red Flag, composed by noted Chinese musician Lyu Qiming in 1965. Musician Deng Jiandong, playing the erhu (a two-stringed instrument), was featured in the performance of Chinese music piece Honghu Capriccio, written by Zhang Jing'an and Ouyang Qianshu, later arranged from instrument and orchestral accompaniment by Min Huifen.

According to Wu, the premiere of the new piece is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

"Over the past century, classical music has taken root in China. Now, the country has about 70 professional symphony orchestras and among them, around 20 actively perform worldwide," says Nie, adding that the six symphony orchestras performing The Light of Mind are among the 20 most active. "For the audiences, it's not just about enjoying a new original music piece by a Chinese composer but also about showcasing the musicians of the country's professional symphony orchestras.

"We are also happy to see that a greater number of Chinese musicians, who are trained abroad, decide to return home and join local symphony orchestras," Nie adds.

One of the six orchestras is Harbin Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1908 and is one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the country.

"We did rehearsals in our own cities, and then got together to do the rehearsals in Tianjin before the premiere. It was a very rewarding, collaborative experience," says Qu Bo, president of the orchestra. "All of these six symphony orchestras have played important roles in their respective cities in popularizing classical music."

According to Zhang Shouzhong, president of Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, after the premiere, the new music piece will be performed by the six symphony orchestras in their own cities, allowing more audiences to enjoy it.