A world of harmony

China National Symphony Orchestra marks key anniversaries ahead of global tour.

The China National Symphony

"For me, the new collaboration with the China National Symphony Orchestra is like a return. My grandmother worked as a soprano with the orchestra for decades and I saw many photos of her performing with the musicians of the orchestra when I was a little girl," says Jing. "She also told me many stories about this orchestra. I feel very familiar and close to it."

Jing's grandmother, Deng Yingyi (1920-2004), performed with the China National Symphony Orchestra for 13 years. In 1963, Deng was transferred to teach music at Shanxi University.

Zhou Yu, the Party Secretary of the China National Symphony Orchestra, says that the ensemble, which was founded in 1956 and formerly named the Central Philharmonic Society, is dedicated to staging concerts that are appealing to audiences of different age groups. Besides Western classical music pieces, the orchestra has performed Chinese music pieces both at home and abroad.

In 2024, the China National Symphony Orchestra will tour globally, with concerts in Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil from September to October, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. It will tour Europe in October, marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. In December 2024, the orchestra will perform at the Abu Dhabi Festival.

Musicians of the orchestra will also perform as chamber music ensembles at universities during the new season, allowing young audiences to get closer to classical music.

Orchestra has announced its schedule for the new season. The selection of concerts and events will feature soloists from around the world and works by international composers.

The opening concert, set for Jan 14 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, will be conducted by Lan Shui, with the orchestra performing music by Mahler, including Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) and Symphony No 1 in D Major, featuring baritone Liao Changyong.

Shui served as the music director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2019. He also held the position of chief conductor of the Copenhagen Philharmonic from 2007 to 2015. Born in Hangzhou, the conductor graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and launched his conducting career in 1985 by working with the China National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2024, the world of music will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner. Four concerts featuring the composer's symphonies will be staged throughout the year, including a concert on Jan 27 performing the Austrian composer's Symphony No 4 in E-flat Major — the only symphony of Bruckner's given a subtitle, Romantic, by the composer himself. Conductor David Hoose will perform with the China National Symphony Orchestra during the concert. South Korean cellist Lee Young-eun, the first prize winner of the cello category of the XVII International Tchaikovsky Competition, which was held from June 19 to July 1 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, will perform with the orchestra on Dmitri Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 1 in E-flat Major, Op 107.

Next year also marks the 100th anniversary of Puccini's death. In celebration of his enduring legacy, the China National Symphony Orchestra will perform an opera concert of Puccini's La Boheme, under the baton of conductor Li Xincao, on May 11.

The new season will also bring concerts commemorating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss and the 175th anniversary of the death of Frederic Chopin.

Besides Western composers, the new season will commemorate Chinese composers, including Huang Zi (1904-38) and Luo Zhongrong (1924-2021), with restaged music pieces.

The Chinese orchestra also plans to work with Chinese universities to perform the Yellow River Cantata, marking the 75th anniversary of its premiere. Back in 1939, composer Xian Xinghai (1905-45) created the piece, along with poet Guang Weiran, who was impressed by the beautiful scenery of the Yellow River. The music piece fueled patriotism during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). Since its premiere in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, a revolutionary base, the eight-movement cantata has been performed for decades and is still a firm favorite among audiences.

The new season will also see the premiere of a new music piece, titled The Rejuvenation, which is a symphonic suite commissioned by the China National Symphony Orchestra and composed by young Chinese musician Li Bochan, marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It will debut at a concert on Sept 13 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Since conductor Li Xincao, the former president and principal conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra, took his new position as the president of the China Conservatory of Music, two conductors have joined the orchestra: Jing Huan and Wang Linlin serve as the orchestra's standing conductors.

"I have been playing with the China National Symphony Orchestra since 1991. The orchestra witnessed my growth as a musician," says Li Xincao, who will participate in the orchestra's new season as an honorary conductor.

Li Xincao will take the baton and perform with the orchestra in a concert titled Chinese Music by Western Composers, which is scheduled for Oct 26, 2024, featuring two music pieces by German composer Enjott Schneider, dedicated to the ancient Chinese musical instrument sheng (a mouth-blown, free-reed instrument): Changes, a concerto for sheng and orchestra, and Symphony No 3 Chinese Seasons for alto, sheng and orchestra, featuring sheng player Wu Wei and mezzo-soprano Zhu Huiling.