Within the first two months of 2012, China has hosted the London Phil, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Philharmonia, St Martin in the Fields and the Philadelphia Orchestra are still scheduled to come in the first half of this year, and there is also no shortage of world-class chamber groups and recitals on the performing arts schedule.
One can’t help but notice the new major policy unveiled in 2011 and continuing well into 2012 – the supreme importance of strengthening Chinese culture.
At the end of last year, President Hu published an essay in which he drew a sharp distinction between the cultures of the West and China. Our leaders are always bitter about the fact that Western culture and art seem to overshadow Chinese culture in popularity. But the tone now is much more severe than in recent years. People in the industry have already seen the changes.
Amid all the talk of China’s growing appetite for classical music, there are now concrete examples of just how promising this scene is.
The New York Philharmonic recently signed an agreement with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to collaborate on a new orchestral training institute in Shanghai. The agreement also includes a series of touring exchanges and joint commissions of new works.
It is Proms season again. But I am not going to describe any of those splendid concerts staged at the Royal Albert Hall. I just want to talk about a free live concert held on June 21 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Westfield London Shopping Centre, one of the biggest in the UK.
As part of promotions for the new season of Proms Out & About, the BBC Symphony Orchestra offered a wonderful dose of classical music at Westfield London. The orchestra was joined by operatic stars and local schoolchildren, who together presented this hour-and-a-half concert showcasing world-class music.
more…
Staatskapelle Dresden once again came to China last week. The tour was led by the young Nikolaj Znaider, who is not exactly renowned for his violin or his conducting. The concerts were fair but far from brilliant, according to the critics. And – whether because Znaider was not available or because the orchestra realised they would need a bigger conductor to match their reputation, we don’t know – they invited Lorin Maazel to fly to China especially for the last concert at the China National Museum for its grand opening day. There were of course many backstage stories about fighting between venues and the agency and between different sponsors, but that is normal for concerts – ugly scenes in the back and a good show in the front. After all, the classical music business is the same as any other business. Well, I got a little bit carried away, but gossiping is an exciting part of life.
more…
Lang Lang is everywhere these days and plays anything (and because of his star status, the story about his playing the Chinese song My Country in the White House led to totally redundant discussions involving thousands of people). Dudamel is likewise everywhere and tries everything. Just as the 30-year-old Venezuelan star conductor stormed the Barbican with the LA Philharmonic at the end of January, the South Bank Centre proudly announced that he will be performing with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in June 2012.
“How original is that?” asked my friend in London, who has been working in the industry for decades.
more…
The recent tragedy in Japan is certainly affecting people everywhere. In this very difficult moment, the world at large feels sorrow for those who lost their lives and the families who have lost their loved ones in the earthquake.
When the news arrived in China, subtle undertones were everywhere. A Chinese news reporter said loudly on TV: “When there was an earthquake in Wen Chun, the Japanese were the first professional foreign rescue team to arrive on the scene, and we hope that the Chinese rescue team can do the same.” It was a bizarre and surprising statement. What was the reporter’s point? Did he speak for the Chinese, or the Japanese? Who was he appearing on behalf of? The Chinese rescue team or the government? Without the government’s say-so, the Chinese rescue team could not do anything. And so they didn’t, until days later.
more…
I am convinced that there are real masters hiding among ordinary people – a real Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as we Chinese often say.
So when I recently happened to see several anonymously posted pictures on the internet, I was amazed by the poster’s sense of humor and astute observation. There wasn’t much explanation given for the photos, but their simple presentation was funny enough to deliver the message.
The pictures were taken at a concert performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in New York last summer. For the first time in the 46-year history of the New York Philharmonic’s summer music tradition, the orchestra shared the programme with a guest ensemble – the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The concert also featured pianist Lang Lang as well as Chinese singers Huang Ying and Liao Changyong.
more…
The following is a fictional story. Any resemblance to actual individuals or events is purely coincidental.
An internationally renowned conductor is invited to lead the New Year concert at one of the most prestigious halls in China. The maestro kindly suggests a repertoire which is not far from the spirit of the New Year, including the works of Strauss, Tchaikovsky and so on. The concert organisers humbly give their feedback: “We definitely need more Chinese elements.”
Later, the poor maestro looks at the programme they have sent him, which reveals that he is allocated three short western pieces along with several Chinese pieces suggested by the organiser.
more…
A tale of two cities. I have no idea when this handy name came about, but it is now used by the literati to compare pairs of cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, Suzhou and Hangzhou, and so on. So in comparing the classical music scenes in Shanghai and Beijing, I thought to create a new and original title. But I could find no other names more neutral and inclusive than this one, so I decided to be exceptionally lazy and use it anyway.
It has long been common knowledge that Shanghai and Beijing are the two cities in China that foreign musicians and artists must visit. At first blush, the two are very similar; with Shanghai the financial centre and Beijing the capital, they are essentially the only two Chinese cities whose citizens are educated and affluent enough to afford the high ticket prices. They are also better developed and more advanced. So long as the concert hall is well attended and the final applause thunderous, musicians and their management teams believe that success has been equally achieved. In fact is, however, that people’s taste, mentality and feedback to the performances can actually vary widely between the two cities.
more…
|
|
|
|
Sign up for newsletter