2017-April-4 Source: Shenzhen Daily
A 28-YEAR-OLD Chinese composer, Zheng Yang, wowed the local audience with his new piece “Far Away Mast,” which debuted at Shenzhen Concert Hall on Sunday night.
Zheng had the world premiere of his latest repertoire performed by the Macao Orchestra, one of the most renowned orchestras in China, to pay tribute to the ongoing Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival.
Unlike most classical music, the “Far Away Mast” symphony features an innovative presentation of a maritime voyage, symbolizing the boats that sailed from China to the outside world in ancient times for trade and communication.
With flutes and clarinets, the orchestra envisioned the beginning of the maritime journey as joyful and pleasant. By involving the performance of Asian drums extensively, the symphony then vigorously presented visions of big ships voyaging over the sea, encountered by the occasional storm.
The young and talented composer shared his inspiration in composing the symphony with Shenzhen Daily backstage before the concert began. He said he expected that the audience would have different sensations when they hear the performance.
“It’s nothing like the traditional symphonies where you can clearly distinguish a lead melody and the harmonies, because this particular symphony requires very different performance skills and emotions,” said Zheng.
Although it was the world premiere of the show, Zheng said that he was very satisfied with how the Macao Orchestra had interpreted his music with their excellent skills. “I was worried before, but after I saw their rehearsal this afternoon, I felt so glad and relieved,” said Zheng.
At a young age, Zheng was invited by the organizing committee of the music festival to compose a symphony for the “Belt & Road” theme. The composer said that he was given plenty of freedom and respect to present his vision of the initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping.
“I wanted to create something new that had never been performed before,” said the composer, who is now teaching at People’s Liberation Army Arts College in Beijing.
Apart from the world premiere of “Far Away Mast,” performances brought by the conductor of the Macao Orchestra, Lu Jia, and a Chinese pianist, Wan Jieni, were also among the highlights of the concert Sunday night.
Lu is one of the top conductors from China and has been invited to many world-level music festivals.
In an interview before the concert, Lu told Shenzhen Daily that the Belt & Road Music Festival is a pioneer in promoting culture communication among different countries and races. He suggested that Shenzhen hold its pace and establish long-term brands for such cultural activities.
Together with the Macao Orchestra, Wan performed Piano Concerto in A Major by Grieg, which won round after round of applause and cheers.
