Composers in tune with the past

An orchestral piece composed by Xiao Youmei (1884–1940) was premiered by a small student orchestra under Xiao's baton at Peking University in 1923.

Inspired by music and dance from the Dunhuang murals, in Gansu province of Northwest China, New Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers is widely considered the first original Chinese symphonic work.

Marking the centenary of Chinese symphonic music, the 8th China Symphony Festival, a yearlong event of performances by symphony orchestras highlighting original works by Chinese composers, was announced in Beijing by the China Symphony Development Foundation and the China National Symphony Orchestra, the event's co-organizers.

On April 23, the festival's opening concert was staged by the China National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Li Xincao, featuring the classic Chinese symphonic music piece, Shajiabang. On Nov 18, the festival will end with a concert by the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Chen Xieyang in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

"China has come a long way in exploring and creating original symphonic works," says Chen Guangxian, president of the China Symphony Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization co-initiated by a group of Chinese musicians, including composer Zhou Weizhi (1916-2014), conductor Li Delun (1917-2001) and composer Wu Zuqiang (1927-2022).

"Thanks to those great Chinese musicians, we have more original works which speak for our own culture. We celebrate Chinese symphonic music and Chinese composers, such as Xiao, who paved the way for original Chinese symphonic music," adds Chen, mentioning other original pieces performed during the 1920s, such as Xiao's Trauermarsch, which was composed in 1916 and was premiered at Peking University in 1925, and Nostalgia, a symphonic prelude by Chinese composer Huang Zi (1904-38), which was premiered at Yale University in May 1929.

The first China Symphony Festival kicked off at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 5, 2008. It lasted about six months with a program that had 25 concerts by 25 Chinese symphony orchestras, featuring 161 pieces by 165 composers.

This year, the festival has gathered 29 Chinese symphony orchestras, including the two oldest — Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which has a history of more than 140 years, and the Harbin Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1908. Those orchestras will bring concerts to different cities, making the festival a national event.

Among original Chinese symphonic works, Shajiabang is one of the most popular, and features Chinese musical elements inspired by Peking Opera.

Considered as a joint effort by composers of the China National Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as the Central Orchestra, the work was premiered during the 1960s and was adapted from one of the eight representative yangbanxi with the same name. Yangbanxi is a series of revolution-themed modern Peking Opera and ballet works produced during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

"We started the preparations of re-staging the piece about two years ago and the only video material we had was the concert recording by conductor Li Delun and the Central Orchestra staged in March 1971. It is very challenging to reenact this classic piece with Western symphonic music and Peking Opera performances taking place simultaneously," says Li Xincao, principal conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra and also the head of the China Conservatory of Music.

"In the video from 1971, singers — sopranos and tenors — from the Central Orchestra sang Peking Opera songs. In our latest version, we invited Peking Opera actors and actresses to join us," says Li Xincao. "I was deeply touched when I studied the scores left by the older generation of musicians at the company. They left detailed notes on the score which allowed me to better understand and discover new information about the classic work."

According to Zhou Yu, Party secretary of the China National Symphony Orchestra, a photo exhibition is being held at the Beijing Concert Hall, displaying the history of the China National Symphony Orchestra and music scores of original works by composers of the company.

"In 2015, there were about 35 symphony orchestras in China. Now, we have about 80," says Chen Guangxian.

"It shows the vibrancy of the classical music scene in the country, the growing number of young musicians and its large fan base," Chen says. "Many cities have their own symphony orchestras now, which play a vital role in promoting classical music and playing original Chinese symphonic pieces."