Britain gets talent

From a small fishing village to a developed coastal city in southern China, Shenzhen in Guangdong province has experienced drastic changes and development since the country's reform and opening-up to the world began in 1978.

By 1982, the city had its own symphony orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, which has since become one of the leading ensembles of its kind in China.

From March 11 to 22, the orchestra will embark on its first-ever tour of the United Kingdom, playing eight concerts and visiting London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.

About 150 musicians from the orchestra will perform under the baton of conductor Lin Daye, with a program featuring both orchestral pieces like Mahler's Symphony No 1 and well-known film scores, such as that of award-winning composer Tan Dun for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"We are very excited because we are making history again," says Lin, who has been the principal conductor and music director of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra since 2016. "We will display the versatile sounds of the orchestra to the audiences in the UK with the music we selected. More importantly, we want to show how exciting China's classical music scene is with our musicians, who are young, creative and full of energy."

The conductor says that the excerpts from the film score by Tan will feature young cellist Nie Jiapeng, who has frequently performed with the Academy Award-winning composer and conductor.

"The film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and its score are quite popular with audiences around the world. We want to introduce audiences in the UK to this fantasy world of martial arts through Tan's music, which is captivating," says Lin.

Tan is also the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra's honorary principal conductor, and has been performing with the orchestra, including for its concert marking the New Year on Dec 30.

As well as the music, Lin also sees the tour as a cultural exchange, with musicians from the UK joining the orchestra onstage. For example, renowned violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen will participate in the performance of French composer Camille Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso and French composer Ernest Chausson's Poeme.

A highlight of the tour will be the double performance of Italian composer Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome, lavishly orchestrated tone poems written for large orchestras.

The choice of Mahler's Symphony No 1 in D Major goes with the theme of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra's UK tour: the harmonious fusion of the East and the West. Also known as Titan, Lin says the piece reflects the composer's vision of a symphony embracing the world.

"The music that the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra is going to perform during their debut UK tour is like a touchstone. They have the capacity to play the international level," says Wray Armstrong, general manager of Poly Armstrong International Arts and Communication Co, co-organizer of the orchestra's tour. He says that Chinese orchestras are now bridging the talent gap between themselves and major Western orchestras.

His company represents a number of the world's leading classical music artists and promotes cultural exchange between China and the West through classical music. Armstrong came to China about 14 years ago. Before that, he worked in London for 17 years. With a career in the classical music business spanning four decades, he says that he is very excited to be part of China's booming classical music scene, which is seeing audiences made up of a growing number of young people and a lot of talented musicians appearing on the international stage.

He also says that in the West, there is a slow process of developing an appreciation for Asian orchestras.

"People (in the West) love Asian soloists and conductors. When we finally got the tour, we were very excited because we will have concerts taking place across the UK at top concert halls in major cities, as well as holding events like pre-concert talks, which will enable the orchestra to engage in a deeper communication with British audiences," he says.

Before hitting the road, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra performed several concerts in Shenzhen featuring the programs it has chosen for the UK tour, which, as Lin says, "warmed up the musicians".

"The orchestra has just experienced a generational change with senior musicians retiring and new members coming through. Compared to many of the world's established symphony orchestras, which have a very long history, we are still growing. This UK tour is an important part of the orchestra's development," says Lin.

"After decades of hard work, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra has become a strong orchestral force, both at home and abroad. We will showcase its technical prowess and interpretive skills, as well as building platforms for not only musicians, but also people from the two countries to communicate," says Nie Bing, president of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.

"We have brought many great musicians and symphony orchestras from the West to China, including the London Symphony Orchestra. We will bring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to China this year as part of a strategic cooperation signed with them last year," says Yao Rui, general manager of the Beijing Poly Theatre Management Co, co-organizer of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra's UK tour. "We want to create a two-way communication, bringing top Chinese artists to the West."

The UK tour is also supported by the Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation, which was launched in 2018 and is devoted to promoting classical music in the city.