In June last year, Wuxi announced to the world that the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra (referred to as Xijiao) was born. Half a year later, on New Year's Day 2024, at the Wuxi Grand Theater, Xijiao, under the baton of artistic director and chief conductor Lin Daye, finally made its first call to the world in the spotlight. A New Year's party full of sincerity, a different kind of wonderful feast, a young figure who is struggling to advance towards the classical world in the face of the rising sun, Xijiao, a classical new force, showed his due strength and style to the world in his unique way. "Wuxi Symphony, the World Hears", this is the name of this ** meeting, in the irrepressible applause and cheers of the audience, Xijiao has been widely praised and recognized by the industry and music fans, and at the same time, the world has heard his due voice. This grand and ceremonial New Year's party not only marks the official establishment of the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, but also heralds a new chapter in Wuxi's cultural and artistic undertakings.
In previous years, like every modern metropolis, Wuxi will also stage one or more New Year's parties on the occasion of New Year's Eve. However, in the past, the conductor and orchestra of the ** club were "other people's children". From now on, Wuxi, a city that exudes a simple and elegant temperament, began to have its own classical ** "children's soldiers", and every New Year's Wuxi person can also proudly say that "we also have our own orchestra to perform our own New Year's party". In fact, in recent years, a number of symphony orchestras have sprung up in various parts of China, and the Symphony Orchestra Alliance of the China Music Association currently has 64 symphony orchestras, and now a new force will be added to this huge classical ** queue. In what form does this new army of music debut?What kind of sound will you be able to make then?Since the announcement of the establishment of Xijiao in June last year, it has become the focus of great attention in the industry and music fans.
New
years
New Year's Day is a festival for all Chinese, and for Wuxi, there is another layer of festive atmosphere. After all, it is the first voice since the establishment of the Xijiao Troupe, "Wuxi Symphony, the world hears" can be seen everywhere in the Wuxi Grand Theater, and the eight words reveal a sense of confidence and heroism. The ** hall that night can be called lively and extraordinary. In addition to the leaders at all levels of Jiangsu Province and Wuxi City, who have given strong support and care to Xijiao, the relevant persons in charge of well-known colleges and universities and symphony orchestras in the country, experts and scholars from the national art circles and other guests, of course, there are music fans and people from all walks of life who will support the development of Wuxi's classical business market in the future.
In the jubilant atmosphere, people looked at the program list in their hands, and their hearts were full of expectations. What does it mean to be sincere?Although it was the first performance of an orchestra, Xijiao did not use familiar songs to show off his skills or please the audience, but used his strength to prove the amazing and good of the first sound. The program is gorgeous and rich, including excerpts from Western operas and Chinese folk songs, both original and classic, as well as "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor", "Variations on a Rococo Theme" and "1812 Overture", which highlight the overall skill or concerto ability of the orchestra. Of course, there is also the strong lineup of star artists on the list, looking at the piano master Matsuev, cellist Wang Jian, singers Wu Bixia and Xue Haoyin, etc., almost all of whom are well-known big names.
Artistic Director: Lin Daye.
Xijiao's first voice opened the prelude to the classical ** of the city of Wuxi, and the new sound They did not choose the classics that people are familiar with, but arranged a new work in a unique way. As the young composer Li Shaosheng and the famous lyricist Kevin, the young composer who is the first director of Xijiao, tailor-made the "Wuxi Overture" for this voice, this "overture" has multiple meanings. It can be said that this is the first symphony work created with the theme of Wuxi, the opening song of the first ** meeting of Xijiao, the first sound of Xijiao to the world, the first movement of the "Wuxi Suite" to be launched in the future, and the "overture" of Xijiao's stride to start the journey. In the midst of the applause, the conductor Lin Daye stepped on the podium steadily and elegantly with a smile on his face, which was also the first time that the young conductor appeared in front of the Wuxi audience as the chief conductor of Xijiao. Behind the seemingly relaxed smile, one can imagine how much effort and sweat he and his friends have put into this moment of the night in the past few months.
Singers Xue Haoyin and Song Qian.
After a few loud and distant bells, eight wind musicians stood in the aisles on both sides of the auditorium to play a magnificent melody, and this way of appearing had a solemn sense of ceremony, and these trumpeters issued a stirring horn sound at the moment of the tin handover. "Wuxi Suite" breaks through the simple labeling statement of Jiangnan minor key in people's habitual impression of Wuxi, such as "Taihu Lake Beauty", but adopts a bright color major key creation technique, the melody is magnificent and high-spirited, and the beautiful natural scenery, cultural landscape and ever-changing urban construction of Wuxi presented on the high-definition screen on the stage make people feel the depth of the city's historical precipitation and the inner strength and energy, and there is more** The city is younger, more modern and more international.
This is a music and painting work full of poetry and picturesqueness, "Taihu Lake is soft, gentle as jade, and hibiscus is out of the water in Wuxi." The waves wash the shadow of the mountain, and the pink lotus powder shines on the silverfish ......Tenor Xue Haoyin and soprano Song Qian used passionate and enthusiastic singing to describe and eulogize the mountains and rivers and people here, and used their singing to show the extroverted, open, inclusive, enterprising, exploratory and challenging side of the water and soil. In addition, the ** meeting also played Li Shaosheng's adaptation of the "Wuxi City Song" "Taihu Lake Beauty", the work is delicate and small, and retains the gentle and delicate emotions in the original work and the Jiangnan flavor contained in the symphonic situation.
This is a gathering of masters, and the arrival of the "piano madman" Matsuev Mazu undoubtedly excites the music fans in Wuxi. He brought Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor", and the combined force of the already passionate Matsuev and the new classical army showed the enthusiasm and strength that overflowed in the work. Matsuyev's return, a Western nursery rhyme with a simple melody "Jingle Bells", was interpreted into a ** feast under his crazy ten fingers, which had all kinds of variations, as well as the romance of the long snow, as well as the swaying of the blizzard, after he played the last note on the key's signature hard blow, the audience erupted in cheers and cheers with the same strength as Matsuyev's piano sound.
Wang Jian's appearance is also another highlight of this ** meeting, the cello master who is already full of gray hair has a fairy wind and bones, and he and Xi Jiao jointly performed Lao Chai's "Variations on the Rococo Theme". Wang Jianqin's rich ** expression in the voice has long been not a word that can be changed and summarized, in various variations, he deeply and flexibly conveys a layered ** emotion, which is heart-pounding.
Singer Wu Bixia.
Wu Bixia, who has the reputation of "Nightingale", was applauded as soon as she appeared, she performed two popular classic folk songs "Song of Eile" and "A Cup of Wine", and her crisp voice drunk every ear and every heart on the scene as soon as she opened her mouth. At the end of the meeting, Xijiao deliberately arranged the singing section "Drinking Song" of the opera "Lady of the Camellias", and Wu Bixia, Xue Haoyin and Song Qian's comedy style brought the joy of the scene to a climax.
The "1812 Overture" with the rumbling of cannons has a strong sense of ritual, and the tin orchestrators are all standing except for the cello, showing their irrepressible youth and passion. The presentation of the whole work is majestic and magnificent, undulating, and I dare not imagine that this is the voice of a "newborn child", and the sound makes people's blood boil and their hearts are full of enthusiasm. The sound of the cannon salute, the fireworks on the big screen, the ribbons sprayed from the hand-held fireworks, and the wind musicians who reappeared in the auditorium passage, Xijiao announced the establishment of the orchestra to the world in a celebratory way in this lively atmosphere. In the audience's unrelenting applause, Lin Daye returned to the venue for the fourth time and led the orchestra to bring a number of short and concise Chinese and foreign classics such as "The Girl of Alai City", "Frankle Dance" and "Flowers and Full Moon" to the enthusiastic audience, sending good wishes to the future of Wuxi City and Xijiao.
Under the elegant, delicate and passionate command of Lin Daye, Xijiao highlights the overall balance, relaxed control and irrepressible youthful vitality. Xiaohe has only shown its sharp corners, and a ** club is just a small step in the development of the orchestra. After the New Year's party, the Xijiao will usher in the second festival-style party, and Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" is selected to pay tribute to the classics, so that Wuxi audiences can hear the world's most classic works.
As a professional symphony orchestra, the annual regular season is a professional standard. In accordance with the international practice of international orchestras, the annual season starts in September of the same year and ends in July of the following year, and the plan for the second half of the 23 24 season is also ready. This year's concert season will be themed "Wuxi Symphony, Heard by the World", inviting well-known conductors and soloists at home and abroad to perform together, planning to arrange more than 100 various activities, inviting famous conductors such as Chen Xieyang, Zhang Guoyong, Hu Yongyan, Cai Jindong, Wang Jin, Chen Zhengzhe, Lang Lang, Wan Jieni, Anna Malikova, Shi Yijie, Song Yuanming, Sun Li, Erhu player Deng Jiandong and other famous performing artists to participate in the event to bring more excitement to the audience** Experience, integrate art into urban life, let Wuxi citizens listen to the symphony of the world at their doorstep, and let elegant art "fly into the homes of ordinary people".
In addition, Xijiao will also start an international tour of Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other places in the near future, and continue to expand Wuxi's international "circle of friends". People have reason to believe that through overseas tours, Xijiao will use the best dialogue with the world, show the image of Wuxi, reflect the temperament of Wuxi, spread the spirit of Wuxi, and tell the story of Wuxi.
On the night of New Year's Day, "Wuxi Overture" has already made people hear the beautiful first trial of Xijiao, and in the future, it will also start the "Overture" composed by the orchestra commissioned composer series. Artistic Director Lin Daye said that the future development of the Xijiao Orchestra will revolve around the idea and concept of "focusing on originality and reciting classics", "We must always put the orchestra's own original works in the first place, so that the world can hear not only the Western classics played by the orchestra, but also our own original works to the world." And ** director Li Shaosheng said that the work is the foundation of a symphony orchestra, "Xijiao has established a creative center and a brand center from the beginning of its establishment. In the future, the creation plan of Xijiao has received great attention from the industry, relevant departments or institutions, cooperative academies, and even the platform. ”
Composer Li Shaosheng.
In the past few years, after a long preparatory stage, Xijiao has recruited more than 60 young energetic and authoritative performers around the world after extremely careful screening in a very high standard manner, and the average age of the whole troupe is only 28 years old this year, and the artistic director and chief conductor Lin Daye, ** director Li Shaosheng, and executive deputy head Yin Feng are also "post-80s", which is the first group of classical ** people in Wuxi to open up the territory for the classical **. Li Shaosheng said: "We hope to build the four beams and eight pillars that the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra wants in this window period, so as to lay the foundation of the art and art management team in the future, lay the bottom line of artistic standards, lay the norms of artistic standards, and lay the benchmark for artistic and aesthetic pursuits." In the future, several young leaders will lead the orchestra to new artistic heights with their unique perspectives and exquisite skills, which also makes Wuxi music fans full of confidence and confidence in the future development of this new music force.
Xijiao, as soon as he was born, was a young man. The road ahead is not easy, but the future can be expected!
Written by Editor Typesetting Zhang Xuejun.
Courtesy of Wuxi Symphony Orchestra.
the end