“25 years ago, I participated in the performance of the first Beijing International Music Festival. At that time, I was still a sophomore student. After 25 years, I participated again as a pipa player. It can be said that the Beijing International Music Festival The festival has grown with me, and I have also witnessed the development of the Beijing International Music Festival.” Zhao Cong, a pipa performer, head of the Central Chinese Orchestra and deputy secretary of the party committee, said recently when he participated in the 25th anniversary performance of the Beijing International Music Festival. The festival allows Chinese music to connect with the world more quickly, and always uses Chinese music language to tell Chinese stories to the world.
Twenty-five years ago, conductor Yu Long, who returned from studying abroad, founded the professional and international Beijing International Music Festival, which opened up a new situation for the Chinese classical music industry. Since then, as the artistic director of the festival, Yu Long and his team have adhered to the operating principles of high starting point, high standard and internationalization, allowing Argerich, Stern, Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic , Orchestre de Paris, etc. presented their most sincere performances on the stage of the Beijing International Music Festival, and at the same time made the Beijing International Music Festival a window for the world to understand China.
Propose “China Concept” to spread Chinese voice
Over the past 25 years, the Beijing International Music Festival has used a musical language that transcends national borders to tell Chinese stories and spread the Chinese voice that resonates with the times.
Yu Long believes that music is the most intuitive way to let the world understand China. The Beijing International Music Festival held individual concerts for outstanding Chinese composers such as Huang Zi, Ding Shande and Tan Dun, as well as pipa master Liu Dehai, Guqin master Li Xiangting, and erhu master Chen Jun. Traditional Chinese music such as Quanzhou Nanyin in Jiangnan Water Town, Jiangzhou drum music in Taihang Mountains, and Taiwan’s music and painting sketches left dazzling footprints on the stage of the music festival. “, Peking Opera “The Lady General of the Yang Family” and other national art treasures have been creatively displayed and promoted.
As a commemorative performance for the 25th anniversary of the Beijing International Music Festival, the symphonic poem “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains” is based on the blue and green landscape painting “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains” in the Song Dynasty. . “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains is closely related to the deep genes of Chinese history and culture in terms of subject matter. In terms of presentation, it reflects the integration and dialogue between Chinese music and Western symphony music, and in terms of conception of the work, it shows the great style of China’s new era.” Zhao Cong said that the Beijing International Music Festival is constantly achieving breakthroughs and crossovers, constantly enriching and extending the “Chinese concept”.
In line with the international stage, adhere to integrity and innovation
Since its inception, the Beijing International Music Festival has never stopped exploring and innovating, so that there are more and more artistic practices and stage works that “integrate Chinese and Western” on the stage of the festival, which greatly expands the scope of Chinese music. concept, but also left a valuable artistic experience.
“In the West, commissioned creation is linked to the centuries-old history of classical music development, which stimulates the artist’s passion for creation,” said Long Yu. In 2001, the Beijing International Music Festival introduced the concept of commissioning into China, and Chinese composers such as Tan Dun and Chen Qigang responded positively and produced 22 commissioned works. The deafening frequency of the voice on the world stage indicates that the Chinese voice is winning the attention and respect of the international community.
On October 6th, the symphonic dance “Legend of the Great Sage”, which was initiated and created by Beijing International Music Festival and jointly commissioned by Beijing International Music Festival and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, completed its world premiere. A new work has been added to the list of appointments.
Combining the “Chinese Concept” with the commissioning system, the Beijing International Music Festival has also embarked on a journey of connecting with the world stage. In 2011, the opera “Legend of the White Snake” jointly commissioned by the Beijing International Music Festival and the Boston Opera House won the Pulitzer Prize for the first time on behalf of Chinese musicians. The world premiere of “Sorrow and Joy”, and later became the designated piece of the international music competition, leading young performers to continue to study and study.
Regarding the proposition of “what a music festival should be like and what it can be like”, over the past 25 years, the Beijing International Music Festival has delivered answers that satisfy the society. In 2010, the festival broke away from traditional concert halls and theaters, and moved the classic music that came out two centuries ago to the trendy commercial district of Sanlitun. Zou Shuang, the second artistic director of the Beijing International Music Festival, first launched the “new and cutting-edge unit” in the “Red Pavilion” in Taikoo Li, Sanlitun, realizing the stage presentation of the combination of reality and reality. “There is a huge possibility and a new path to ‘create classical music for young people’,” said Zou Shuang.
Focus on talent training and tap talent potential
Cultivating and supporting young musicians and bringing new blood to the industry sustainably are long-term issues for any music organization. “For the past 25 years, the festival has insisted on giving young musicians ample opportunities to showcase, and many of them have also moved to the world stage from here, and have grown into the mainstay of the music scene,” said Long Yu.
In 2021, the 20-year-old runner-up of the Khachaturian International Conducting Competition and young conductor Jin Yukuang will join hands with the Neoclassical Chamber Orchestra to stage the Beijing International Music Festival. Most of the members brought many wonderful performances for the “post-00” team with their unique artistic vision. In 2010, the Beijing International Music Festival invited Zhang Haochen, winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, to make his domestic debut after winning the award, which opened Zhang Haochen’s career as a golden performer for more than 10 years… At the beginning of the Beijing International Music Festival, it was bold Giving the stage to young musicians with artistic vision, Yu Long also always emphasizes giving young people opportunities and stages.
It is worth mentioning that in 2018, Yu Long handed over the baton of artistic director of the Beijing International Music Festival to the young director Zou Shuang. With a broad international stage vision, keen artistic exploration spirit and brand-new ideas, under the leadership of Zou Shuang, Beijing International Music Festival has created a unique and unique “new and cutting-edge unit” section, which has greatly improved the performance of the festival. Diversity and forward-looking.
Handing over a world-renowned music stage to young musicians, which contains trust in young people, from conductors, soloists, singers, composers, orchestras, to music managers, every promotion and promotion The support shows the courage, vision and responsibility of the Beijing International Music Festival.
“The stage of the Beijing International Music Festival can bring players a new experience, which comes from the festival’s long-term artistic exploration and cultural precipitation.” Jin Yukuang believes that the Beijing International Music Festival will continue to seek breakthroughs in the future. And continue to become a well-known music festival with forward-looking, unique and benchmark.
25 years of integration with the world, 25 years of integrity and innovation, and 25 years of step by step, the Beijing International Music Festival has gained appeal and influence on the international stage, and has become an important platform for Chinese music industry to communicate with the world.
“We will encourage innovation in an all-round way, and we will also warmly welcome the arrival of a multi-dimensional era. We support and encourage the combination of technology and music creativity, and we look forward to creating a new creative context for Chinese music that is in line with the world. Zou Shuang said that the next 25 years of the Beijing International Music Festival will be a world music stage for young people.(Zhang Xin, intern reporter of China Culture Daily)Return to Sohu, see more
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