Early warblers compete to warm the trees, and new swallows peck at the spring mud. On the evening of March 26th, the Concert to Commemorate the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven's Birth and the Global Piano Master Cloud Relay Ceremony were launched at the Jiukeshu (Shanghai) Future Art Center in Fengxian District, where Lang Lang and Tang Muhai joined hands with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra to connect cultural bridges and emotional ties across borders with music.
Zhou Huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, Sha Hailin, member of the Shanghai Municipal People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhang Xiaosong, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and executive vice president of the Shanghai Friendship Association, Zhuang Mudi, secretary of the Fengxian District CPC Committee, Yuan Quan, deputy secretary of the Fengxian District CPC Committee and acting district governor, Jing Ying, vice president of the Shanghai Friendship Association, and from Serbia, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Portugal, Russia, the United States, Ireland, Thailand, Bulgaria, Hungary, South Korea, The United Kingdom, Austria, Israel, France, Japan, and Singapore Nearly 100 people from 22 countries, including Chile, India, Turkey, Canada and the Netherlands, attended the event at consulates, chambers of commerce, friendly people and media representatives.
(Zhou Huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, Sha Hailin, member of the Shanghai Municipal People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhang Xiaosong, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and executive vice president of the Municipal Friendship Association, Zhuang Mudi, secretary of the Fengxian District Party Committee, Isava, Consul General of Portugal in Shanghai, Ou Zhen, Consul General of Germany in Shanghai, Yuan Quan, deputy secretary of the Fengxian District Party Committee and acting district governor, and Zhou Heng, secretary general of the Nine Trees Art Committee, jointly launched the music festival. Photograph: Pan Jiandong)
At the launching ceremony, President Sha Hailin said that Beethoven's melody is almost a household name in China, in "To Alice" and "Moonlight", people taste the sour, sweet and bitter spicy of love; from "Destiny", draw the strength to survive and move forward; a song "Ode to Joy" is the ultimate praise for the whole world that human beings should unite as brothers. In the special period of fighting the epidemic, only solidarity and cooperation can solve the world's problems. I hope that everyone will embrace peace with music, connect truth, goodness and beauty, and warm the earth with the spirit of human unity of "music without borders".
(Lang Lang performs at concerts.) Courtesy of Rong Media Center, Fengxian District)
Israel Saraiva, Portugal's consul general in Shanghai, said the EU league song "Ode to Joy" came from Beethoven. Since 1 January this year, Portugal has held the presidency of the European Union for a period of six months. In the face of the global challenge of COVID-19, global action is needed, and only by joining hands can we go hand in hand on the road of hope and trust.
Christine D. Althauser, German consul general in Shanghai, said that Germany and other countries around the world prepared various activities for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth last year, but unfortunately many of them were cancelled due to the new crown epidemic and some were switched to online. "I am particularly pleased to be able to meet in Shanghai today and listen live to the masterpiece musician playing the works of this great composer. At a time when it is difficult for orchestras and musicians to travel across borders, this concert is also a much-needed cultural bridge between Germany and China. ”
After 6 teenagers performed 12 hands of piano music, the Chinese guests jointly launched the music festival. Lang Lang, an internationally renowned pianist and an internationally renowned conductor, joined hands with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra to present "Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92" and "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37", with magnificent and energetic tunes, expressing mankind's yearning for a happy life.
When asked about their favorite Beethoven's work, Rosie Hawes, president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and Alex Roberts, a British lawyer, answered in unison: Symphony No. 7. Rosie said: "This song is clear and powerful, with the power to hit the heart, not only to give people unlimited imagination space, I seem to be able to get unlimited energy from it." Alex is a "foreign son-in-law" who has lived in Shanghai for 9 years and is proficient in Chinese and English Chinese. But he said: "Music doesn't need language to convey emotions. ”
Marshall Strabala, an American designer of Shanghai's landmark "Shanghai Center," offered a professional perspective: The concert hall is one of the most difficult design projects, and the theater is very well designed, with a 700-seat slope and well-planned plan, so that the audience is very close to the stage. "I don't often listen to music on my phone, but prefer to play live. Tonight's concert is a great start to a wonderful new year. ”
"I'm glad I had the opportunity to see Lang Lang playing on the spot!" Noyan Rona, an "honorary citizen of Shanghai" from Turkey, said that Lang Lang was skilled and unhurried, and worked with the symphony orchestra to interpret different styles of Beethoven's works. Enjoying a classic song at the Nine Trees Future Art Center in the forest is also a different feeling. He expects that more living facilities can be built in the surrounding areas, so that this land with a beautiful environment can really "fire" up and become a "popular punching point" for urban residents to travel in the suburbs.
Stepping out of the theater, Mariana Usach Franck, CEO of the China-Chile Chamber of Commerce, was still unsatisfied. "When the music started, my heart was pounding. Now that the world is closed by the pandemic, I'm glad I can sit here and listen to concerts. Mr. Ma Lihe has been in Shanghai for more than a year, "We love everything in Shanghai, the people here are very friendly and kind. Today, her team is working with the Chilean Consulate General in Shanghai to build stronger cultural ties between Chile and China, including translating poems by Chilean poetess and Nobel laureate gabriela Mistral into Chinese.
As Sha Hailin, president of the Shanghai Friendship Association, said, the event on the day was not only a musical event, but also provided an excellent stage for the exchange of Chinese and Western music culture, adding strength to the friendship between peoples of all countries. "We look forward to the piano masters acting as messengers of friendship for people-to-people diplomacy, conveying emotions through music and forging friendships with the help of music."
The event was jointly guided by the Shanghai Municipal People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People's Government of Fengxian District of Shanghai Municipality.
(China Daily Shanghai Branch)