The Paper's reporter Xia Yining
"Offstage, I was 96, but when I got on stage, I was 69, and when I was directing young people, I was 6+9." On November 25, 96-year-old national first-class conductor Cao Peng was a guest of the second season of the high-end cultural forum "Everyone Says", and as soon as the opening scene, he used a funny and humorous way to dismantle the secrets belonging to his age, which caused a round of applause: "My health benefits from being with four - with music, with dear families, with young people, and with public welfare and charity!" ”
"Everybody Says" pulpit scene
"It is my responsibility to let the world know about China through music"
In December 1925, Cao Peng was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, in a family of scholars for generations. At the age of 9, he represented the school to participate in the "Anti-Japanese Anti-Smoking" Singing Competition held in Jiangyin County and won the first place, and his musical talent was discovered by the school teachers, and since then he has been cultivated and started his music life step by step.
Referring to his hometown of Jiangyin, Cao Peng's words are full of love: "Jiangyin is a historical city, also known as the state of loyalty and righteousness, Jiangyin people have a strong, brave, kind, hospitable, and have been passed down to this day." ”
In February 1944, Cao Peng and his classmates secretly arrived at the guerrilla base area, joined the New Fourth Army, and changed their name from the original "Cao Canfu" to "Cao Peng". In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and later the War of Liberation, he was awarded the Second Class Meritorious Service twice and the Ordinary Meritorious Service several times, and became an honorable Communist Party member in 1946.
However, it was not until the liberation of the whole country that his party membership was made public, "In the liberated areas, our living situation is very complicated, and there are many spies and traitors. Sometimes when we encounter questions from the masses, we will not answer positively, and we will always deal with the past hastily. In his recollection, the era in which he lived was very difficult, but everyone's mental outlook was always brave and strong.
In August 1945, after the surrender of the Japanese army, Cao Peng first entered the Central China Construction University, during which time he met Hui Ling, who later became his wife, and then entered the Department of Literature and Art of Shandong University to study command. In 1949, he came to Shanghai, joined the Shanghai Film Studio, and co-founded the "Shanghai Film Studio Symphony Orchestra" (now the "Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra") with Lu Qiming. In 1954, the Moscow Conservatory of Music came to China to enroll, Cao Peng with his own strength to obtain a place in the Ministry of Culture to study abroad, and in 1955 went to Moscow to study, under the famous conductor Kimzi burk, stayed for 6 years.
Overseas, Cao Peng, like many international students, is concerned about the motherland. In 1958, composers Chen Gang and He Zhanhao created the violin concerto "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", which was premiered at the Lyceum Theatre in Shanghai in May 1959 and became a hit. Cao Peng saw the news about Liang Zhu in the People's Daily and was very happy, and immediately wrote to his wife Hui Ling, asking her to send the score of "Liang Zhu". The general score of "Liang Zhu", which had just been published and distributed in Shanghai, was not even found by the composer himself many years later, and Cao Peng had been carefully preserving it.
On October 5, 1960, in the Column Hall of the Union Building in Moscow, the All-Soviet Radio Symphony Orchestra, nine opera soloists, and a large choir performed the violin concerto "Liang Zhu", He Luting's "Evening Party", Ma Sicong's "Mongolian Dance", and the opera "Song of the Steppe". This is the first time in China's history that a special concert of Chinese symphony works has been held overseas, and it is Cao Peng, a Chinese student, who is the conductor, and he has become the first person to promote Chinese works such as "Liang Zhu" to the world.
This concert caused a huge sensation. After graduation, Cao Peng returned to China and served as a conductor in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, officially opening his glorious years as a music conductor. With a deep sense of home and country, Cao Peng led the orchestra to visit and perform in various countries in the world, so that Chinese music wandered in a foreign country. "Letting the world understand China through music is the due responsibility of Chinese conductors." Cao Peng said.
Cao Peng
"Improving the musical literacy of the Chinese nation is my real pursuit"
If the success of his music career represents Cao Peng's profound cultivation and pursuit of excellence as a conductor, then over the years, his enthusiasm and dedication to public undertakings have demonstrated his precious humanitarian spirit as an artist.
In 1995, at the age of 70, Cao Peng officially retired, and he consciously took on the responsibility of popularizing and disseminating music. This was not an easy task at the time, but Cao Peng always believed, "A nation, if it does not improve its artistic literacy, there is no future." It is my real pursuit to have a life of music without confusion and to improve the musical quality of the entire Chinese nation. ”
In 2005, Cao Peng formed the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra at his own expense, which is the first non-professional symphony orchestra in Chinese mainland, and has held hundreds of symphony performances in the past ten years since its establishment, making the symphony music form deeply into the people. The Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra was later awarded the honorary title of "Advanced Unit for Promoting Learning Groups" by the Shanghai Municipal Government, and Cao Peng was also praised as "a hero of popularizing symphony".
Under this affirmation and inspiration, the "Shanghai Student Symphony Orchestra", "Shanghai City Youth Symphony Orchestra", the Wind Orchestra and Folk Orchestra of the Shanghai Medical Workers' Union... More and more music groups have been established one after another, carrying forward Cao Peng's belief in the cause of music popularization. He always firmly believes that the spirit of music is the spirit of culture, "culture is the foundation of a country, culture is prosperous, culture is strong and the country is strong." ”
Cao Peng's daughter, Cao Xiaoxia, remembers that in her life, she met many people who had received music education from her father, "Someone told me that when he was studying at Fudan University, he met Cao Peng to give lectures and play music to the audience. At that time, the Xianghui Hall was crowded with people, and many people were lying on the window to listen, and he was one of the people lying on the window. This makes Cao Xiaoxia feel more meaningful about his father's pursuit, "As children, our filial piety to our parents is, on the one hand, to care about their lives, on the other hand, to inherit their spirit and help them complete their wishes." ”
Group photo at the scene
Under the leadership of Cao Peng, the family has devoted themselves to social welfare undertakings. In 2008, with the support of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, Cao Peng and Cao Xiaoxia established the "Angel Confidant Salon" for autistic children, which opened the hearts of autistic children by learning music and playing musical instruments, so that many families felt happiness and hope again. Cao Peng has also become the "Grandpa Cao" of many people, and children with autism will sometimes suddenly hug him and wish him a life of 120 years old. Cao Peng was very moved: "This is my greatest comfort and blessing. ”
Cao Peng's command style is steady, clear and bold, and the handling of works is meticulous, profound and passionate, which seems to be a true portrayal of Cao Peng and his people. Today, he is still deaf and clear-sighted, quick-witted, energetic, and his demeanor and vitality have infected all the audiences of "Everybody Says".
From the heroic struggle as a soldier in his youth, to the excellence of a conductor in his prime, to the deep love of today's public welfare careerist... What remains unchanged is Cao Peng's unswerving belief in the power of music, art and culture. Just a few days ago, he gave a concert, relying on crutches and the support of others, trembling and majestically on the stage again. Looking at the world, such an advanced age is still standing on the podium, and there is no one but Cao Peng.
"Mo Daowu is ninety-six now, and he is immortal. But seek simplicity and offer true love, bow down to the symphonic cow. He said that directing this thing, he wanted to try to be 100 years old.
The second season of "Everyone Says" is a high-end cultural forum jointly sponsored by the National Foreign Cultural Exchange Research Base, the Propaganda Department of the Minhang District Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Shanghai International Cultural Society, which will invite representatives from music, dance, architecture, dubbing, Chinese painting, traditional Chinese studies, medicine, current politics and other fields to share speeches, show the beauty of life and humanities, and light up Shanghai's urban soft power.
Editor-in-charge: Cheng Yu
Proofreader: Luan Meng