"You have the heart to come, and you have the heart. Even if the mountains are high and the water is deep, the mountains are high and someone has opened the way, and the water depth has its own bridge builders. On the evening of April 16, the large-scale symphonic poem "Tulou Echo" was played at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. As the first female conductor of symphony in New China, Zheng Xiaoying, 91 years old and silver-haired, once again took the stage to conduct "Tulou Remembrance".
The large-scale symphonic poem "Tulou Echoes", composed by the famous composer Liu Xiang, is a work based on Hakka history and culture, which is composed of five movements: "Labor Trumpet", "Boat on the Sea", "Tulou Night Language", "Shuo Axe Opens the Sky" and "Hakka Song".
As a Fujian Yongding conductor, Zheng Xiaoying has always wanted to do something for her hometown. "The impetus for this work was a visit to my roots in 2000. The first time I saw Tulou, my heart was very shocked. In the Tulou, there are very rich elements of the Central Plains culture, whether it is wood carving, stone carving, or the architectural art of the Tulou, which makes me feel incredible. ”
When Zheng Xiaoying recalled the origin of the creation of "Tulou Reminiscence", she said: "When someone told me that the 16th World Hakka Friendship Conference was to be held in Longyan, I blurted out that if I could perform a symphony expressing the spirit of the Hakka family at such a conference, it would be good." So, my friends helped me find funds, and most importantly, I found a very good composer, that is, Liu Yong. Composer Liu Yong's hometown is in Longyan, Fujian, and he knows the habits and life of the Hakka family very well, and when he received a call from Zheng Xiaoying, Liu Xiang was very excited, and the two hit it off.
Over the past 21 years, Zheng Xiaoying has spared no effort to promote this work engraved with the imprint of the Chinese nation, bringing Hakka mountain songs to many corners of the world. So far, "Tulou Retrospective" has completed 76 performances in 12 countries and regions, creating the highest number of large-scale symphony performances in China.
The Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Xiamen Song and Dance Theatre Symphony Orchestra are private orchestras without any special funding support. Nevertheless, Zheng Xiaoying believes that as a conductor and orchestra, we must shoulder the responsibility of promoting Chinese works: "When discovering a good work, the conductor should work hard to promote it, and have a sense of responsibility to carry forward the excellent symphony works of our motherland, which is what we should do." ”
Although along the way, I have encountered many hardships, but Zheng Xiaoying feels very relieved. For the inheritance and promotion of Chinese works, Zheng Xiaoying believes: "Performers are not creators, but second-degree creations, and with good works, you must spare no effort to support it regardless of remuneration." Music must be performed to make people hear and move people, otherwise the work will always be in the drawer. In an environment where the value of symphony is not well understood, it is difficult to push, but it is our responsibility and we should do it. ”
Text/Reporter Tian Wanting
Courtesy photo/National Centre for the Performing Arts