Centenary compositions

Musicians celebrate Party's founding with inspiring pieces, Chen Nan reports.

Chinese composer Yang Fan has a hectic, and rewarding, schedule. In 2019, he won two major prizes under the prestigious Wenhua Award. This is a top national award for the performing arts. He won for his compositions of two dance dramas: The Railway to Xizang and The Eternal Wave, during the 12th China Art Festival in Shanghai. Since then, the 37-year-old composer has received a number of invitations to compose for various music projects.

One of the commissions Yang received was to compose a piece for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

"It's a very big subject and very challenging for a young composer like me. It's also a great honor," says Yang, who was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and learned to play the piano at a very young age.

"Unlike words, music is abstract. With different musical instruments, a piece of music can express emotions and leave a space for the listeners to imagine," says Yang. "For the special occasion of celebrating the 100th birthday of the CPC, I think of the country's great achievement as well as people who made contributions to it."