When Bay Area Notes Fly Internationally
2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong) International Youth Music Week ends
On the evening of January 31, the closing concert of the 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong) International Youth Music Week (hereinafter referred to as "YMCG") was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Center.
This is also the last concert conducted by Music Week Music Director Daniel Harding during his trip to the Bay Area. After the last master class the next day, the music week that lasted for more than a week came to an end.
When walking on the stage, looking at the youthful faces of the YMCG band musicians, Harding said with emotion: "In the past ten days, you have grown rapidly under the guidance of your instructors and learned to use music to warm people's hearts. Music is full of life because of you. I am proud of you." You are proud!"
From January 20th to February 1st, across Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, there will be 4 symphony concerts, 2 chamber music concerts, 2 "Music Gathering and Talk" music salons, and a one-day music outreach City walk, 10-day master’s personal guidance and rehearsal... YMCG band musicians left precious musical memories. For the first time, the Music Week, co-organized by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Xinghai Concert Hall, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Macau Orchestra, surpassed previous editions in terms of the depth and breadth of cultural collaborative development.
More than ten days of art journey, the blend of tradition and modernity, the intersection of Chinese and Western music culture, world-class music masters and new music talents gather here to tell the story of China, the Bay Area, and Guangdong through music, using the Music Week as a window to show it to the world Great American Bay Area.
A dream journey for young Bay Area musicians
Amidst the applause, the young man sitting in the first position of the symphony orchestra stood up and greeted Harding with a smile as he walked quickly from the backstage. The bow is lifted slightly, and a piece of music is ready.
He is Lin Ruifeng, the concertmaster of this music week orchestra and a young violinist. He was present in the last music week orchestra. In July 2022, he became the only mainland "final prize winner" at the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition; in October 2023, he won the gold medal at the 3rd Victor Tretyakov International Violin Competition. From an ordinary band musician to a band leader, YMCG Band and Lin Ruifeng have witnessed each other's growth.
"I should be the first one in the academy to come. Our schedule has been very full for nearly half a month, but I feel very excited." Lin Ruifeng not only participated in the rehearsals of the music week, but also participated in this year's opening ceremony performance. The exchange with the orchestra’s leading instructors gave him a new understanding of collaborative performances: “We used to think that collaboration means different people making the same sound. But the two master conductors Harding and Yu Long both told us that individuality importance.”
"Creating music requires some spontaneous expression, which is particularly important." Harding believes that what mentors can do is to give opportunities and create as many opportunities as possible for young people to discover the great charm and fun of music.
"We spent this week in a dream!" Xu Li, a double bass player at the School of Music of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), was still very excited when she recalled her performance experience during the music week. “We used our respective instruments to unleash our passion for music on stage, and everyone showed off their own style.”
Cui Linhan, a young conductor who participated in the opening performance, graduated from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and was selected into the Dudamel Conducting Program of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2022/2023 season in 2022. He is also a new generation of music leader from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the world. Returning to the Bay Area to participate in the YMCG international cultural event was regarded by her as an unusual and new experience. "The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is born with the temperament of diversity and integration, adhering to the same spirit and respecting differences. These are the catalysts for achieving great creation." Cui Linhan said.
Why should we organize a youth music week for the world in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area?
Conductor Yu Long, chairman of the Music Week Art Committee, explained: "The Greater Bay Area is not only an economic Bay Area, but also a cultural Bay Area. The prosperity and development of culture will provide young people with rich humanistic nourishment and pave the way for their growth and development. A bridge for development. In turn, these young people will become the backbone of the cultural development of the Greater Bay Area, China and even Asia."
Hong Kong’s post-95s composers’ fantasies about the Bay Area
"I hope that through this piece of music, everyone can feel the upward force in the Bay Area." At the media meeting, Hong Kong post-95s composer Liang Haoyi introduced himself in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English respectively. He was commissioned by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, especially The work "The Ambition of the Sky: The Great Bay Chapter" was created for this music week.
This is the first time that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Youth Music Week has launched a commissioned composition mechanism. Music Week has always encouraged originality. From 2017 to 2020, there will be a batch of improvised performance works every year. This piece by Liang Haoyi not only opened the concert, but was also the world premiere of this piece.
As a young composer born in the Greater Bay Area born in 1995, Liang Haoyi composed the music for the movie "Changjin Lake" as one of the composers. He won the Outstanding Film Music Award at the 19th China Film Huabiao Awards and was the composer for "Operation Red Sea" and "Operation Red Sea". The soundtrack created by "Jangjin Lake: Shuimen Bridge" is also a well-known work in the industry.
“If you can speak Cantonese, you may be able to feel the ups and downs of Cantonese in the music, and even hear the Cantonese lyrics hanging on your lips; if you have never traveled to the Greater Bay Area, you may start from the beginning of the work In the melody of the trumpet, you can hear and see the beginning of night and the twinkling lights of the night." Liang Haoyi explained this new work.
In order to use music to capture the rich and colorful essence of the history and culture of Guangzhou, the core city of the Greater Bay Area, he revisited Shamian after nearly twenty years and obtained creative inspiration from the colorful buildings and the flowing crowds of people.
"Music requires no language and no barriers. Everyone can build their own understanding and imagination of the Greater Bay Area through music, and communicate freely and heart-to-heart in music," said Liang Haoyi.
That’s the beauty of Music Week.
Harding, who serves as music director, deliberately brought a team of mentors from different orchestras, hoping to give young musicians the influence of different styles.
"Although it is a cliché that 'music can cross the barriers of different languages', I still want to say that the empathy in music always reminds us that we are not alone. Whether you are from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Berlin or Paris, there is always someone Music brings a moment of honesty and connection between you and me," Harding said. According to him, after this year’s exploration, he and Yu Long have formulated a plan for the next five years to further promote the development of Bay Area Music Week.
A trip to the Bay Area for international music stars
The artistic journey of Music Week is also an in-depth trip to the Bay Area for musician mentors and students from various countries.
From 2017 to 2023, the members participating in the music week come from 21 countries, 31 cities and 28 cities in China, including Harvard University, Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal Academy of Music and other world-class institutions. Music school.
Participating instructors include principal performers from the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, Tutor at Harvard University and other institutions.
For them, Music Week is undoubtedly a window to understand the Bay Area and China.
This year’s music week outreach event, YMCG orchestra and international music giants held a music city walk at four stops where ancient and modern music blended together. The first stop is the Cantonese Opera Art Museum on Enning Road. Xiguan, where it is located, was once a gathering place for Cantonese opera activities and a gathering place for famous Cantonese opera actors.
On October 2, 2009, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao jointly applied for Cantonese opera to be selected into the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is a successful cooperation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the field of art, and it also demonstrates the interconnectedness of people and cultural connections in the Bay Area.
After the performance, a classic Cantonese opera excerpt "Battlefield Alliance" specially prepared by the organizer brought the Cantonese charm of the southern country. Well-known musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra listened with gusto and enjoyed it very much. The Cantonese opera exhibition inside the museum amazed them even more.
"It's like meeting an old friend!" Gareth Davis, music week instructor and principal flutist of the London Symphony Orchestra, exclaimed, "This kind of traditional opera is really charming. I have heard many Western composers use this kind of I create music as inspiration, and I also encountered 'Cantonese opera' in the film music I participated in and recorded."
Carl Tolson, a percussionist from Sweden, marveled at the beauty of Cantonese opera percussion: "This is the first time I have heard the percussion performance of this traditional opera. It is amazing and very impactful. The instrument itself is also very beautiful."
The instructors and students of the Music Week also visited the Chaozhou woodcarving exhibition at the Provincial Expo. After the visit, clarinetist Elgao expressed his feelings: "This city has given us so much, especially in the collision of cultures, it has inspired us musicians. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the people of Guangzhou through outreach activities." Our music is also a cultural feedback.”
On the new central axis of Guangzhou, the sound of drums can be heard. The surging rhythm of percussion music is jumping, and the new and vibrant Bay Area comes into view. On the top of the Canton Tower, two brass players played "I Love You, China" and "Under the Lion Rock" in the clouds as a trumpet and French horn duo, adding a touch of youthful harmony to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The same melody also sounded from the Clock Tower on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong. On January 31st, the song "Under the Lion Rock" stopped the footsteps of pedestrians passing by the bell tower. As one of the most important parts of the Guangzhou-Kowloon Railway, the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower has witnessed the connection between Guangzhou and Hong Kong and the exchanges between the people of Guangdong and Hong Kong for more than a century.
Today, more than a hundred years later, the clock tower still stands, witnessing the flash mob memories of young musicians.
As the instructors and musicians feel, the 2024 YMCG has new breakthroughs and new sparks. What is unforgettable is not only the music, but also the dialogue between China and the West and the deep friendship between friends through music. The vibrant, open and inclusive note from the Bay Area is riding the east wind of YMCG and flying to the world.
Nanfang Daily reporter Wang Hanqi