On the evening of March 30, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Music Director Yu Long conducted the orchestra and performed hand in hand with his old friend cellist Wang Jian, making a grand return to the stage of the Shanghai Symphony Music Season. In the first half, the two friends collaborated on "Variations on a Rococo Theme" and "Adagio and Variations". In the second half, Long Yu led the audience into the "Symphonie Fantastique" by Berlioz, a French romantic school.
On the 50th birthday of conductor Yu Long, my friend Wang Jian went on stage to perform Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme". Ten years have passed, and Yu Long is 60 years old. The two old friends hold hands again and present this song to music fans to witness their friendship.
The following Respighi's "Adagio and Variations" was a piece that Wang Jian actively recommended to the orchestra. This was also his first time to perform this work.
"Adagio and Variations, this name is really bad, not poetic at all, but it sounds so nice and touching!" Wang Jian said that every time he heard the end, an endless rainbow would appear in front of his eyes. , the sky turned red when the sun went down. This kind of scenery was common in Finland, where he once lived. Sometimes, he would even imagine that the rainbow is the human spiritual world, which contains the souls of all mankind...
The creation of "Adagio and Variations" ran through Respighi's career as a composer. The young Respighi wrote his Cello Concerto in E minor in 1902, but it was never published until he later re-created the second movement of the concerto in 1921, which became the Adagio and Variations. This work blends Impressionism style into classical style, and is full of French softness.
"This composer has a very high status in my mind." Wang Jian believes that Respighi is seriously underestimated and many people are unfamiliar with him. "Why was he not taken seriously at the time? Because he was relatively old-school, conservative, and had no Pursue music that everyone doesn’t understand, but always pursue music that everyone can understand. Now, his music is gradually being recognized by everyone.”
In March last year, Wang Jian returned from overseas and returned to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to officially teach. How has your life changed over the past year? Wang Jian told the media with a smile: "It's much smoother than expected, without too many twists and turns. I used to come back from overseas to perform every year, and because of the long distance, it's really more traveling. Now it's more convenient to go home, no longer As bumpy as before."
As a professor at Shangyin, Wang Jian believes that music performing arts and social needs are changing. In the future, performers may have to pay more attention to new themes and new technologies to keep up with the development of the times.
"Nowadays, AI is frequently involved in music creation, and Shangyin has also done some exploration in this area. Technology serves human beings. I think AI cannot replace human emotions, but AI may not be so easy to control. We need to think about how Use AI to benefit mankind," Wang Jian said.
Text | Reporter He Jing
Picture | Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
