Distinguished Chinese conductor Long Yu returns to Washington in his role as artistic director of the revered Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the first orchestra of its kind in Asia and one of the oldest classical orchestras in the world.
The symphony is famous for introducing classical music to the Chinese and Chinese music to the Western world. Most recently, it has reaped honors for its recordings of Zhu Jian-er’s symphonies, Tan Dun’s multimedia concerto “The Map” and Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” This tour will balance both musical worlds.
“It’s exciting to be associated with my hometown orchestra during its 130th jubilee year,” Long Yu said. “Next year the World Expo will be held in Shanghai and the orchestra comes as an ambassador to Washington.”
The 12-city tour opened in New York City’s Carnegie Hall Tuesday and travels across the country by way of Canada with its final concerts in California. The Fairfax program includes Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Overture-Fantasy, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and the China Air Suite by contemporary Chinese composer Bao Yuan Kai.
“‘China Air Suite’ was inspired by Chinese folk songs, so it utilizes traditional instruments,” Long Yu said. “I am honored to bring this orchestra to America because of its high artistic level and ability to act as a bridge between the East and West. We will be joined by three outstanding Chinese pianists for the Rachmaninoff concerto, Lang Lang in New York, Di Wu in Fairfax and Yuja Wang for the other venues. All three studied at Curtis Institute with Gary Graffman.
Long Yu is not only the music director of the orchestra, but he also holds the same title with the China Philharmonic and the Guangzhou Symphony, which has performed on five continents. He is the artistic director and co-founder of the Beijing Music Festival and appears frequently worldwide with such major symphonies as Washington’s NSO, the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony. His enthusiasm is boundless.
“I want the audiences to be open and see the culture of China through it’s music,” he says. “In return, Chinese music is open to the international stage. We need to understand and learn from each other. The Shanghai Symphony is a meaningful part of our cultural exchange.”
