15 songs including "People's City" won the "Golden Melody Award", and "Shanghai Spring" collected original songs from Shanghai | People | People's City
"The Pujiang River bends into a bow here, and dreams are its extraordinary arrows. The city built by the people with sweat flourishes on the ancient shore." On the evening of July 6th, the 38th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival · First Original Song Collection Award winning works exhibition was held at the Yangpu Young Theater in Shanghai. The popular bel canto group "Voice of Power" sang this song "City of the People" written by Gan Shijia and composed by Peng Cheng. Gan Shijia said that he looked at the map of Shanghai and wrote the first line of lyrics, gradually becoming "City of the People".
Since its launch in February this year, the first original song collection for "Shanghai Spring" has received over 500 songs from creators from all over the country. After re evaluation, final evaluation, and further polishing, 15 works including "City of the People", "picturesque mountains and rivers", "Light of the sea", "Appearance of Jiangnan", "Falling Pearl Song", "Waiting for Jiangnan", "Deepest Concern", "Beautiful Scenery by Dianshan Lake", "Spring of Magnolia", "Ode to Gusu", "Unforgettable Home", "Spring Will Not Forget", "Half Tree Pear Blossoms", "Most Lovely People", and "Pujiang Love Song" won the "Golden Melody Award", with 35 works winning the "Excellent Award" and 5 works winning the "Popularity Award".
One of the judges, Zhou Xianglin, Director of the Composition and Conduction Department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, said, "City songs are an important component of urban culture, which can reflect the appearance and spiritual connotation of the city. The standards for this collection are that the lyrics should have literary quality, the music should be catchy, and more importantly, through the most easily accepted music form, reflect the spirit of Shanghai city and showcase its charm."
The original songs collected this time include various forms such as solo, ensemble, choir, and group singing, combining traditional Chinese opera with pop music, and combining tradition with modernity.The award-winning work "Spring of Magnolia" skillfully integrates Suzhou Creek, Oriental Pearl TV Tower and other landmarks of Shanghai, and demonstrates the spirit of Shanghai city with the noble character of magnolia that is fearless of cold and open to the wind. Beijing Opera performer Li Jun and Associate Professor Meng Wei from the School of Music at Shanghai Normal University perform together, combining ancient Beijing charm with neoclassical Chinese style, which is refreshing.
The song "Pujiang Love Song" is written by Lu Zhide and composed by Wang Baichun. The singer, Zeng Fanyi, is a scientist and also an artist. On the one hand, she is the director of the Institute of Medical Genetics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; On the other hand, in the 1980s, she won first prize in the first Shanghai Foreign Pop Song Competition, held solo concerts in China and the United States multiple times, and released albums. Traveling through the world's rivers, Zeng Fan's heart was filled with only the Huangpu River, his hometown, flowing forever. "I am a genuine Shanghai girl born and raised in Shanghai. This song expresses my admiration, longing, and love for Shanghai."
Among the award-winning works, the Yangpu District Children's Choir performed "Unforgettable Home" by 80 year old Shanghai lyricist Huang Zhiyi. "By the Suzhou River, there is my grandparents' home; by the Huangpu River, there is my grandparents' home. On the roadside of Zhejiang, there is such a warm home for me; my parents, give me a happy home..." Huang Zhiyi said, "Shanghai is so big and diverse, how can we write a good 'Song of Shanghai'? We choose to start from a small perspective and write a song that is suitable for both adults and children to sing." The composer of this song is Pu Zejun, a high school music teacher from Emin County, Tacheng Prefecture, Xinjiang. ". Upon reading Huang Zhiyi's lyrics, the melody popped up in Pu Zejun's mind, coming together in one go.
The first original song collection for "Shanghai Spring" was guided by the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Propaganda Department of Yangpu District Committee, and organized by the Shanghai Musicians Association, Yangpu District Cultural and Tourism Bureau, and Yangpu District Urban Investment Company.