In the 2022 inventory article, I wrote: "Now that the dawn has appeared, 2022 is about to pass, and after this difficult year, I sincerely hope that next year will be better." "Looking back on the 2023 performance now, there are many gratifying points. From blowout to stability, there is a delicate balance between market leverage and artistic value in this year, and China's leading companies and arts management practitioners have forged ahead - the first year after returning to normal life is a busy year for performers.
Remembrance and renewal.
2023 coincides with the birthday of many ** families. In this year, major symphony orchestras have paid tribute to and commemorated these famous artists who have made great contributions to history with heavyweight meetings, and have developed the form of repertoire and conferences.
2023 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Russian composer Rachmaninov, and almost all first-line orchestras in China have held a number of performances to commemorate the composer. From September 2nd to 4th, the China Philharmonic Orchestra will open the 2023-2024 new season with the "marathon" of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto with three consecutive days under the baton of Yu Long.
Immediately afterwards, the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra staged a piano "marathon" at the Hangzhou Grand Theater. Yang Yang, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra, led five pianists to perform Rachmaninoff's complete concerto in one evening without stopping.
2023 marks the 210th anniversary of Wagner's birth, and two orchestras have started their Wagner journey. In July, assistant conductor Sun Yifan temporarily rescued the scene, replacing Yu Long and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra to rehearse the opera "Rhine's **", which was highly praised by the industry.
On October 28th, the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra's 15th Season Blockbuster "Tribute to the 140th Anniversary of Wagner's Death: The Valkyrie" of the opera "The Ring of the Nibelungen" was performed by German conductor Markus Steinz and a group of "Wagner singers", including the heroic tenor Stuart Skelton, to bring a complete interpretation of the high-standard "Valkyrie" to Hangzhou. More and more orchestras are willing to pay attention to and dare to challenge Wagner's operas, which is a manifestation of the strength of the orchestra.
In addition, 2023 will also mark the 190th anniversary of Brahms's birth and the 220th anniversary of Berlioz's birth. On December 9, the China Symphony Orchestra paid tribute to the 110th anniversary of Li Ling's birth and the 100th anniversary of Yan Liangkun's birth with a commemorative meeting called "Trekking to Lay the Foundation and Pioneering".
In addition, it can be observed that different orchestras have found their own balance between artistic creativity and artistic practice. For example, the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra Lu Jia's interpretation of Bruckner's "Lü Bu" series continues to make steady progress, recording a number of Bruckner's masterpieces such as "Six, Seven, and Eight", which is expected to end in 2024 on the 200th anniversary of the composer's birthThe Changsha Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under Fan Tao and the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater Symphony Orchestra under Li Biao will conclude the "Complete Beethoven" series at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, using the interpretation of Beethoven's orchestral works as an important way to train the orchestraThe Chengdu Symphony Orchestra focuses on "locality", and its performances of works by Sichuan and Chongqing composers have attracted attention. In terms of form, the guided tours** continuously launched by the Shenzhen, Suzhou and Chengdu Symphony Orchestras will allow the audience to "listen preparedly" and obtain high satisfaction from the audience. As of the date of writing, it can be seen that the New Year's party of each regiment has received a high degree of attention.
Orchestras from the borders of the motherland are becoming more and more active. The Ordos Ulan Muqi Symphony Orchestra will be established in 2023, the first season of the Hohhot Philharmonic Orchestra has passed smoothly, and the ** Philharmonic Orchestra has appeared on the stage of the National Symphony Exhibition. In terms of the establishment of the new orchestra, the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, which was formed in 2023, will make its debut on January 1, 2024. The China Philharmonic Orchestra toured Japan in August, the China Symphony Orchestra toured Australia in November, and many orchestras began to tour China frequently. World-class conductors and soloists have joined hands with Chinese orchestras one after another, and the first concerts of Dutoi, Cavakos and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Gatti, Zheng Mingxun and the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra have attracted wide attention in the music industry.
Performers sharpen themselves.
The return of the world's first-line Chinese ** family is the highlight of 2023. Since Wang Jian returned to China to teach at the end of 2022, the frequency of performances in China has increased significantly. Young horn player Zeng Yun held recitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in August, and then came the good news that he had become the principal horn-designate of the Berliner Philharmoniker. The newly promoted viola player of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Médijan, will also return to China several times in 2023 to perform and record. The resumption of international exchanges has made the exchange between these arts once again the norm.
As a matter of fact, the influx of a large number of foreign artists will have a certain impact on the market. It's not just the performing groups. Soloists and chamber music ensembles also come up with more creative and challenging repertoire. Pianist Luo Wei's 2023 tour has chosen a set of topical and oriental themes related to the theme of "Gazing at the East"** will be on a national tourPianist Chen Mo also focused on "romantic inheritance" and premiered the extremely difficult solo piano version of Brahms's "Hungarian Dances".Pianist Hu Jingyun is on a tour of "Completely Lao La" with a complete repertoire of Rachmaninoff's works from various periods, and organist Shen Yuan and modern dancer Wang Yabin have a meeting. In terms of string music, the "Art Garden Capture Ying - 2023 National Outstanding Young String Talent Exhibition" focuses on the achievements of young Chinese string talents. In addition, violinist Ning Feng held a complete ****meeting, performing **"Violin Unaccompanied Suite" in one **meeting, and played all Mozart's violin concertos in one day;Cellist Chen Yibai performed the cello concerto ...... with several orchestrasAll in all, the performances of domestic musicians appear to be "more rolled" in 2023.
The international and domestic collision ended in a dramatic event at the end of the year. Yuja Wang's China tour in December attracted a lot of attention across the country, and all the tickets for the first meeting sold out quickly. On December 14, the National Centre for the Performing Arts announced that it would perform an additional performance on December 16, and even rescheduled the Amber Quartet** originally scheduled for this time to the 19th, which also caused great controversy among netizens. On December 19th, the Amber Quartet was rescheduled, and the four artists returned with 11 works to echo Wang Yujia's "large number of returns", which became a major topic at the end of the year.
Opera, composition, and folk music are stable and improving.
Looking back at the opera creation in 2023, although the number of national operas is not large, the quality of the works has improved compared with the previous "blowout" years. The National Centre for the Performing Arts produced "Song of Youth" and "Reflecting the Red Mountain" composed by Zhang Qianyi;Produced by Liaoning Provincial Public Cultural Service Center and Liaoning Opera House (Liaoning Symphony Orchestra), the original opera "Deng Shichang" was launchedJointly produced by the Shanghai Opera House and the Xuhui District Culture and Tourism Bureau, the original national opera "March of the Volunteers" created and rehearsed by the Shanghai Opera House was also staged at the end of the yearThe Gansu Provincial Opera House has produced two operas, "Not Far from Humalin" and "Hu'er Hey";The first opera in Qinghai Province, "Youth Casting Sword 221", premiered at the Qinghai Grand Theater. In terms of Western opera, Delib's opera "Lakmé", co-produced by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Royal Opera House of Muscat, the Verona Amphitheater **, and the Los Angeles Opera, premiered. The Shanghai Opera House's new production of "The Artist's Life" and "Lohengrin" also caused a great response.
After a series of important years, the new creations staged in 2023 are more artistic, with fewer thematic creations and more artistic works emerging. **The Academy has successively performed new academic works in Vienna, Italy, and Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Shanghai Contemporary Festival, Beijing Modern Festival, and Zhejiang Modern Festival have also been revived and restarted. The National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra even toured with composer Yao Chen's new "Far Crossing", which aroused repercussions in the industry. On October 9th, the large-scale original symphonic work "Praise the New Era and Forge Ahead on a New Journey" co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Association will be staged in the ** Hall of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, combining thematic creation and artistry.
The performance market of folk music is still thriving, and the Wuxi Chinese Orchestra released the first season for the first time, just as the theme of the first season of the Wuxi Chinese Orchestra is "infinite possibilities", the Chinese Chinese Orchestra is blooming and making continuous progress.
In 2023, the fourth round of the live "Folk Music at Sea" jointly produced by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra and Cadillac Shanghai ** Hall will come to an end, ushering in the 100th performance of the residency. The Suzhou Chinese Orchestra held a European tour and performed a number of Chinese masterpieces. While adhering to traditional culture, Chinese Chinese orchestras inherit the essence of traditional Chinese culture internally and vigorously promote the charm of traditional Chinese culture externally.
In the past year, the Chinese classical ** market has experienced several twists and turns, experienced the excitement of just opening up, and the bottleneck of excess performances, and I believe that the next year will move towards a stable level before the epidemic.
Zhang Tingyuwen.