In September 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra, as the first American orchestra to perform in China, kicked off the historical prelude to the "ice-breaking tour" of cultural exchanges between China and the United States. In November 2023, some members of the Philadelphia Orchestra came to the National Center for the Performing Arts to carry out a series of activities to commemorate the important moment of the 50th anniversary of the orchestra's visit to China.
Live concert to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra's visit to China in 2023
On the evening of October 31, the complete Philadelphia Orchestra returned to the National Center for the Performing Arts stage after 2019, under the leadership of the orchestra's chief guest conductor Marin Alsop ), once again opened a musical journey for the Chinese audience and continued the musical friendship between the two peoples.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s China tour coincides with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. It will also witness the 45th anniversary of the establishment of a sister city between Philadelphia, USA and Tianjin, China. The new principal guest conductor, Marin Alsop, conducts this tour. She has previously performed with the orchestra in Philadelphia, Saratoga Springs, New York, Vail, Colorado, and Carnegie Hall. More than thirty years.
Conductor Marin Alsop accepted a group interview with the media before the performance
During this trip to China, Marin Alsop will also join hands with the well-known Chinese pipa player Wu Man and the acclaimed Chinese pianist Li Zhuoyu to make " "The Sound of Philadelphia" resounded in Beijing, Tianjin, Chengdu and Haikou. This is also the first time for the Philadelphia Orchestra to visit Chengdu and Haikou. The orchestra's 13th visit to China has set a record for the highest number of visits to China by an American orchestra.
Marlene Alsop conducted the orchestra to perform
Marlene Alsop conducted the orchestra to perform
The entire concert hall was filled with majestic momentum
html On the evening of 31st, in the National Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall, when Rossini's "Seville" The notes of the overture of "The Barber" sounded, and the scene was instantly injected with a sense of vitality. The strings beat briskly, like cheerful elves dancing on the stage, and the bright tone of the woodwind part gradually joined in, filling the air like the laughter and laughter of thousands of lights.Subsequently, Tchaikovsky's Fantasy Overture to "Romeo and Juliet" was played. Under the baton of Marlene Alsop, the orchestra created a deep and romantic atmosphere. The music begins with a slow introduction, and the "battle theme" in B minor unfolds the dramatic conflict, and then the love theme played by the English pipes can be said to be one of the sweetest melodies expressing love in the history of music. It has been used in movies many times in the past. Soundtrack. The second half of the
concert began with the grand opening of Dvořák's "Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World"". The musical language of the work is full of impassioned enterprising spirit, as well as folk dance melodies from the composer's hometown and longing for The melancholy and sentimentality written for his hometown are not only intertwined with each other in each movement, but also accompanied by fierce conflicts. This was composed by Dvořák, who lived at the turn of the century, in the face of that era of drastic changes. Real feelings. In the splendid and gorgeous performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the entire concert hall was filled with majestic momentum. The audience felt the majestic power conveyed by the music, as if they were in the torrent of history, and turned over the magnificent history with the ups and downs of the music. Picture scroll.
After the official program ended, the audience gave warm applause and cheers to the performances of the artists who came from afar. The orchestra then returned to perform Brahms' "Hungarian Dances No. 5", once again pushing the atmosphere to a new level. climax.
Performance site
"These works are widely known and deeply loved by the Chinese audience"
Before the performance began that night, conductor Marlene Alsop said in a media interview: "I think the relationship between the Philadelphia Orchestra and China The profound relationship actually reflects the mutual respect and understanding that music can bring us. Therefore, I am deeply honored to be the conductor of this tour. Our performance in China has been carefully arranged and focused on the music. In addition to the classic repertoire that the orchestra is good at performing, I believe these works are also widely known and deeply loved by the Chinese audience."
According to reports, on November 1, the Philadelphia Orchestra will continue to play strong notes for the National Center for the Performing Arts 2024 Classic Classics. Pipa player Wu Man will work with the orchestra to present Chinese composer Zhao Jiping 's "No. "Two Pipa Concertos" and Mahler's "Symphony No. 1 in D major "Giant"" will also be performed on the "Echoes of Tang Poetry" concert on November 2. The orchestra will mainly present Mason Baez's works based on Tang poetry. The world premiere of "Spring River with Flowers and Moonlight Night". This work is based on the Tang Dynasty poem "Spring River with Flowers and Moonlight Night" and is commissioned by the orchestra as part of a special program. It is composed by composers from all over the world.
Marlene Alsop said in this regard, "As we all know, "Spring River with Flowers and Moonlight Night" is a very famous Chinese Tang poem, and it is also a long poem. The poem itself is very beautiful and wonderful. I believe that everyone here is more familiar with it than me. Rehearsing this work is a rare opportunity to learn Chinese, and it is also an excellent opportunity to promote Chinese culture and Chinese character culture. In the past, when we mentioned opera, in most cases we did not mention Chinese, or even communicate in English, but in Italian and German. "
When answering a reporter's question from The Paper, whether Feijiao's performance lineup for this tour in China includes any of the performers who first performed in China in 1973. Marlene Alsop said excitedly, "Of course. You will see at tonight's performance that they are 74-year-old violinist David Booth and 80-year-old viola player Leonard Edwards. "
Marlene Alsop led all the musicians of the orchestra to pay farewell to the audience
"At the welcome reception held last night, the two of them also emotionally reviewed their experiences and knowledge of their first visit to China 50 years ago. All these make us deeply believe in the significance of music to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Another important part of the exchange between Feijiao and Chinese counterparts is cooperation and joint performances with young Chinese musicians. On November 4, we will also cooperate with the Global Music Education Alliance to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the China Conservatory of Music . We sincerely hope that every time we visit, no matter how big or small, we can collaborate more with local young musicians and cultivate more new generations of musical talents for the future. ” said Marlene Alsop.
Photo/Courtesy of the National Center for the Performing Arts
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