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On August 29, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and his wife, Madam Hu Pinghua, held a concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China at the Chinese Embassy in the UK. The Polaris String Quartet of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO), who is on tour in the UK, was specially invited to perform both Chinese and western masterpieces. Ambassador Liu gave a speech entitled A Fusion of East and West. More than 140 guests were present, including Lord Mayor Alderman Peter Estlin of the City of London and his wife, representatives from the British government, business, culture and education communities. Yu Long, Music Director of SSO, and Zhou Ping, President of SSO, were also at the event.
Ambassador Liu noted in his speech that 2019 is a special year for China, for China-UK relationship and for SSO. It marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-UK diplomatic relationship at the level of chargé d'affaires and the 140th anniversary of the founding of SSO. The concert of the evening has special significance and carries three important messages. The first message is all-around development. He said, "Since the founding of New China, China's development has been people-oriented and aimed at meeting people's aspiration for a better life. While building a strong economy, China has also pursued balanced development in all aspects including in the area of culture." The second message is exchange and mutual learning. "In recent years, SSO did concert tours around the world, performing Chinese masterpieces for international audiences. Tonight's concert is such a cultural and music feast, offering the best of both the East and the West. I hope it will give everyone a glimpse of the charm of the Chinese civilization. I am sure it will also be an excellent opportunity to appreciate the beauty of harmony between different civilizations," Ambassador Liu added. The third message is win-win cooperation. The ever-closer cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and the UK have enriched people's life of both countries. This is the best example of win-win cooperation. An ever-developing China will create broader prospects for China and the UK to engage in more fruitful cooperation and deliver more benefits to the people of the two countries and beyond.
In his speech, Yu Long gave a brief talk on the history of SSO. Founded in 1879, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is the first Asian symphony orchestra to introduce western music and perform western classics, and it is also the first to perform Chinese orchestral works. It is always at the forefront of cultural exchanges between China and the west. With its long-term and close collaboration with western musicians since its founding, it has grown into a world class orchestra. The world tour to celebrate the 140th anniversary of its founding will take place in 7 cities across 5 countries, with its performance at the BBC Proms in London as the last stop. Mr. Yu expressed his confidence that SSO would bring a unique experience to the British audience.
At the concert, musicians from the Polaris String Quartet of SSO played Chinese and western masterpieces, including The Butterfly Lovers, Por Una Cabeza, Morning of Miao Mountain, Salut D'amour, Chinese Folk Songs (Jasmine Flowers, Guessing Tune, Happy Sunrise), Simple Symphony and Libertango. Their wonderful performance and exquisite interpretation won rounds of applause. In response to the extended applause from the audience, the musicians played Pomp and Circumstance Marches by renowned English composer Edward Elgar as an encore to express their thanks.
Both Chinese and British guests spoke highly of the well-thought-out visual design of the concert which was a crossover of western stave and traditional Chinese musical notation. It echoed with the concert theme of East Meeting West and the concept of exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.
The concert ended with the guests' prolonged applause, while the marvelous tune played by the Polaris String Quartet and the idea of "building a harmonious world among different civilizations" would linger on.
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Shanghai Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1879, originally known as the Shanghai Public Band. In 1922, it was renamed as the Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra. It was officially named Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 1956. The Year 2019 marks the 140th anniversary of its founding. Between August 12 and September 3, the orchestra, consisting of more than 140 members, gave 7 concerts in a world tour to 5 countries including the US, the UK, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. By making debuts at the world top music festivals, SSO will tell the Chinese stories through music and highlight exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. It is also the first time for SSO to be invited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms.
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