At the invitation of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra of China brought the Chinese New Year Concert at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on February 8, local time. Li Muzi Xinhua News Agency Photography
New York, February 8 (China Daily) -- The fifth day of the first lunar month is when the Chinese New Year is in full swing, and the United Nations headquarters in New York is also full of the atmosphere of the Spring Festival. At the invitation of the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra of China brought the Chinese New Year Concert to the United Nations on February 8, local time, so that the good voice of the Suzhou Symphony sounded in the General Hall of the United Nations Headquarters for the first time.
This is the first time that the Chinese New Year Concert has appeared on the stage of the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters, using music to let the representatives of the Member States of the United Nations feel the original Chinese New Year.
The repertoire of this performance combines Chinese and Western styles, including not only the "Spring Festival Overture" with Chinese New Year characteristics and the symphonic compositions such as "Jasmine", "Horse Racing" and "Yao Dance" full of Chinese national characteristics, but also classic Western symphonic repertoire, such as "The Sound of Spring" Round Dance, "Alay City Girl" Second Suite, symphony No. 4 in F minor, etc.
"As an orchestra in China, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra can be very different from other Western symphony orchestras by choosing a local traditional repertoire. On the other hand, symphony is an art derived from the West, so the repertoire also selects foreign classics. In this way, the audience can appreciate both Chinese characteristics and the standards of the China Symphony Orchestra when appreciating," said Chen Guangxian, director of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.
"I hope that through this performance, the influence of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra can be expanded and this young orchestra can go further on the international stage," he said.
Chen Guangxian said that this performance at the United Nations Headquarters is not only an important stop for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to launch the "Happy Spring Festival" series of performances around the world, but also a performance by the Chinese delegation to the United Nations to entertain representatives of United Nations member states on the occasion of the Chinese New Year.
"It is a great honor for us to start performing for unrelated member states, which is particularly significant, because if we were to visit, we would only be able to go to one country or two countries, but there are dozens of ambassadors and staff from dozens of countries who can attend and listen to our Chinese music and the music we play, so we feel particularly honored," said Chen Xieyang, the conductor of the performance, a famous conductor and music director of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.
Chen Xieyang said that the form of symphony is international, so there is no language barrier. Therefore, to promote cultural exchanges between internationals, symphonies are the best form. And through some Chinese music, you can understand some of China's social landscapes, festive scenes of the Spring Festival celebration, etc.
"The Suzhou Symphony Orchestra is currently one of the most international professional orchestras in China and has an increasing influence in the music industry, which is also an important reason why the orchestra can be recommended by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and invited by the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations," Chen Xieyang added.
Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that the composition of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra is very special, with members from twenty countries, like a mini-United Nations.
In her opening remarks at the concert, Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, President of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, said: "As a poet, I believe that art has the power to transcend cultures, civilizations and national borders. That is also the essence of our work at the United Nations. I am deeply grateful to China for bringing the festive atmosphere and spirit of the Spring Festival to the heart of the United Nations. ”
"The show has a very festive atmosphere," Shireen Dodson, who works at the United Nations, told reporters after watching the show, "it represents the Spring Festival very well, relaxed and happy." ”
Dodson said the selection of the performance was great and very diverse. She loves the erhu solo part the most, and this is the first time she has listened to the erhu play.
Chinese and Western instruments are "well integrated," laments Tavis from New York.
"All the sounds mixed and connected seamlessly, everything was great," Tavis said.
While listening to the symphony, audiences from all over the world can also experience the traditional culture of Suzhou on the spot. Organized by iSuzhou Platform, the special exhibition "Noisy Spring - The Art of Suzhou People's Living" presents Suzhou's past and present lives, New Year customs and the Oriental wisdom and seasonal lifestyle of "walking according to the times" contained in Suzhou-style life through vivid language, animation and rich cultural and creative products. The exhibition area uses representative elements such as Peach Blossom Woodcut New Year Paintings, "Jiangnan Smoke and Rain Four Seasonal Things" and other representative elements, and cooperates with New Year's eve cultural and creative products such as couplets, red envelopes, and "Fu" characters, to spread Suzhou's traditional culture and customs to overseas. iSuzhou hopes that through this opportunity, more foreign friends can understand China and go to Suzhou.
Suzhou Symphony Orchestra is the first professional symphony orchestra in Suzhou, officially established on November 18, 2016, shouldering the mission of "internationally renowned, domestic first-class", the 2017 season went to Europe, Hong Kong and other places to tour; in the 2018 season, it went to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan, successfully completed the Asian tour, with a total audience of more than 7,000 people, playing a beautiful note from the historical and cultural city of Suzhou to the world, becoming a new city business card of Suzhou.
It is reported that after the performance of the United Nations Headquarters during the Spring Festival, in order to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, in 2019, Sujiao will also actively participate in the "Symphony Marathon - Review of Chinese Symphony" with domestic brother orchestras; in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Suzhou Industrial Park, the orchestra also plans to invite well-known artists in Singapore to perform in tribute; the orchestra will also participate in the domestic and foreign tour of the annual key project opera "Rabe's Diary" in Jiangsu Province.
Source: China Daily