Cultural Exchanges Blend East and West at Carnegie Hall Symphony Orchestra Performance
On the evening of the 24th, the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra returned to Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States, after four years, bringing the latest works of contemporary Chinese composers to the audience. The performance showcased a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, as traditional Chinese national instruments collided with Western musical instruments, creating a captivating blend of music.
The repertoire performed that night included “Future Realm,” “Eternal River,” “Preface to Cangshan Mountain,” “Five Colored Stones,” and many other world premieres. The performance, which lasted for more than two hours, attracted more than 1,000 spectators on a winter night during the local Thanksgiving holiday.
One of the audience members, Georgette, spoke highly of the performance, stating, “Every piece is amazing, and I can feel the emotions contained in it.”
For many spectators, it was their first time seeing a guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument. Crystal McBride, an attendee from Salt Lake City, expressed her intoxication with the Chinese culture conveyed in the music, stating, “The performers’ movements are full of beauty, as if they are dancing on the strings.”
Su Chang, director of the Plucked Pluck Teaching and Research Section of the Department of Folk Music of the Central Conservatory of Music and famous guzheng player, expressed her hopes that more Western audiences will appreciate this ancient national instrument and that more people will come to know the guzheng after each performance.
The concert, which featured instruments such as the guzheng and bamboo flute, represents a part of the cultural exchanges between China and the United States, reflecting the recent consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries to promote more measures to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Dionisio Cimarelli, an adjunct sculpture professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology who has lived and worked in China for many years, highlighted the power of music in building a bridge of understanding between China and the United States, emphasizing the necessity of more understanding and collaboration to create a better world.
The creators of the musical compositions performed at the concert expressed their hopes to enhance exchanges and friendship between the people of China and the United States through music, emphasizing the universal language of music to convey emotions and connect hearts. The performance exemplified the power of music in bringing together people from different cultural backgrounds and fostering greater mutual understanding.