The symphonic concert is a program of the ongoing 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
A symphonic concert that combined traditional and modern elements stunned audiences at the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival on Monday.
The concert integrated the art forms of Kunqu opera, Peking Opera, orchestral and choral music to showcase the distinct charm of traditional Chinese music.
Chinese traditional instruments such as the jinghu (a bowed string instrument used primarily in Peking Opera) and drum were played to highlight the power and vitality of Chinese music.
Artists Zhang Cuihong (left) and her father Zhang Piling collaborate on an excerpt from the modern Peking Opera play “The Red Lantern.”
Artist Zhang Jiajing plays the drums to the score of “Fishing and Hunting.”
The gentle melodies from the time-honored Kunqu Opera play “The Peony Pavilion” immersed audiences in the charm of the classical art. Classic scores of the orchestral suite “A Dream of Red Mansions” portrayed the transformation of the four ancient Chinese families from prosperity to decline.
Artists also performed excerpts from modern Peking Opera plays, including “The Red Lantern” and “The Mountain of Cuckoo,” and the concert finale was a chorus of “Let the World Be Filled with Love.”
According to Qian Jiawen, the concert’s chief producer, this range allowed the audience to appreciate the artistic charm and cultural connotations of Chinese music, and also stimulated their interest and enthusiasm for traditional culture.