Music festival hits a celebratory high note

The first time Ye Xiaogang performed at the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, he was an 11-year-old dancer. This year, the festival, as one of China's longest-running music festivals, is celebrating its 40th session. Ye, now a prominent composer in China, will present his compositions in a concert at the festival.

On March 12, Ye, chairman of the China Musicians' Association, flew from Beijing to Shanghai to discuss the upcoming Ye Xiaogang's Symphonic Works Concert, which will take place at Shanghai Symphony Hall on April 2 under the baton of 86-year-old Chen Xieyang, who is celebrating his 60th anniversary in the music industry.

At the 18th Shanghai music festival in 1999, Chen conducted the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in playing Ye's compositions Spring and The Story of Shenzhen. Since then, the orchestra has played more than 30 of Ye's works, according to Zhou Ping, the director of the orchestra.

The symphonic suite A Song of Farewell is a piece commissioned by the orchestra in 2018 and adapted by the composer from the opera of the same title in 2010, which will be included in the upcoming concert.

"I want audiences to follow the narrative thread, the ups-and-downs in the storytelling after removing the arias and lyrics in the opera," Ye says about the symphonic suite.

"I noticed people humming the melody as they walked out of the concert hall," Zhou recalls about the opera's premiere. "That shows Ye's ability to create beautiful melodies, in signature Ye style."

Ye says: "I want audiences to understand my composition without difficulty. When I was younger, I took pride in writing complex music and hearing conductors complain about the frequent beat changes in my work, making it almost impossible for the orchestra to play."

Today, Ye is steadfastly against the widespread tendency among young composers to show off their abilities by writing music that is difficult to understand. "After all, music is meant to be heard, rather than studied.

"I try to compose music that will be played for decades, that people will enjoy listening to, and can tell it is the sound of our culture and generation," he says.

Ye's concert program will also feature Mount Emei, a piece inspired by the landscape and culture of Sichuan province, and Cantonese Suite, based on the folk music of the composer's home province of Guangdong.

The 40th session of the Shanghai music festival will take place from Sunday to April 9 with 50 concerts, six dance productions and 13 other events such as mini-festivals, music-themed exhibitions and a call for new music compositions.

Ten nationwide companies will perform during the festival. More than 40 percent of the shows will feature new compositions and artists, showcasing the latest achievements in the music sector around China, says Xia Yujing, deputy chairperson of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

More than 30 percent of the shows will be international productions, such as Wuthering Heights by the Wise Children Theatre Company from the United Kingdom, which premieres on the Chinese mainland at the Shanghai Culture Square from April 4 to 6.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War. The opening concert on Sunday will be celebrated with three modern Chinese compositions based on the occasion — Ode to the Red Flag, Yellow River Cantata, and China, My Beloved Mother.

Additionally, 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Italy. The festival will feature seven concerts with music from Italy.