A music tour in the "Metaverse", the 2023 Shanghai Summer Music Festival kicked off in the universe | Composer | Music Festival

On the evening of July 7th, 2023, the Shanghai Summer Music Festival kicked off with a "Metaverse" concert. Entering the hall of Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall, scanning the QR code of the "AR interactive device", the audience can enter a virtual universe through their mobile phone screen, capturing astronauts floating in the air and shooting stars passing through the sky. Here, the audience can choose their own background music, download posters, take photos, and play an adventure game.

At the opening concert that evening, the young conductor Jin Yukuang won enthusiastic applause from the audience as soon as he stepped on stage. This "post-2000" conductor directed the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra for the first time, bringing the theme fantasy song "Three Body" by crossover musician Wang Feinan, the co titled work "Metaverse" by young composer Liang Haoyi and Icelandic composer Anna Sowalsdottier, and Holst's classic "Planetary Suite", showcasing the imaginations of composers from different eras towards the vast universe.

In the next two weeks, the Shanghai Summer Music Festival will launch 31 performances at Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall, Shanghai Urban Lawn Music Square, Blackstone Third Space, and the West Coast Art Museum. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Italian Musicians Ensemble, and Vienna Philharmonic Clarinet Chief Daniel Otensamer will all make appearances one by one. MISA Classical City will also perform music flash mobs at multiple popular landmarks such as Hengfu Style Museum, Blackstone Street, Xiangyang Park, and Xujiahui Academy. In addition, more than ten performances will be live streamed online.

The 2023 Shanghai Summer Music Festival kicked off

What exactly does music look like in the metaverse

At the opening concert, two symphonic works called "Metaverse" were performed. "The two works perfectly showcase the different interpretations of composers from different regions and backgrounds on the same theme. Anna lives in Iceland, with a cold climate and sparse population, and her" Metaverse "focuses more on the vast nature. On the other hand, the first movement of Liang Haoyi's" Metaverse "has a fast-paced urban life, with great difficulty and countless changes. The performers and I 'dance' on stage together," said Jin Yukuang.

In Liang Haoyi's view, the development of technology is influencing the development of culture. The emergence of the concept of "metaverse" has given artists new creative space and audiences new ways to listen. "In my opinion, the 'metaverse' is a creative soil that urgently needs to be explored, which can stimulate greater creativity. I hope to use music to reflect the changes of our times and provide a different perspective for our generation of creators. I am not afraid of being replaced by AI, and I am looking forward to one day, Beethoven's works, my works, and AI's works will be performed in the same concert."

Young composer Liang Haoyi

Wang Feinan, a young composer who created "The Wheel of Time" for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra last year, brought a new theme fantasy song based on the popular TV drama "The Three Body Problem". By incorporating avant-garde and electronic music styles, as well as Chinese folk materials, she presents the romance and joy of the Three Body World in her music. She is skilled in using percussion. In "The Wheel of Time", she once brought a bicycle onto the stage, while in the theme fantasy poem of "The Three Body Problem", she brought everyday items such as trash cans, pots and pans onto the stage, creating unexpected sound effects.

This is Wang Feinan's first time visiting the Shanghai Summer Music Festival. In addition to the opening concert, she will also bring a popular chamber music fusion theater in the third space of Blackstone. "The Shanghai Summer Music Festival is a pioneer of Chinese classical cross-border music festivals, where many creative works are presented to the audience, hoping to conduct a music experiment here."

Young composer Wang Feinan

Three years of transformation, "post-2000s" command new stars shining on stage

The opening concert is a young music party. Composer Wang Feinan is born in the 1980s, Liang Haoyi is born in the 1990s, and conductor Jin Yukuang is born in the 2000s. As the founder of the Neoclassical Chamber Orchestra, Jin Yukuang has brought the band members to the Shanghai Summer Music Festival stage for two consecutive years. This year, it is his first time coaching the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and also his first time conducting an opening concert.

"I was too nervous, I didn't sleep well the night before rehearsal," Jin Yukuang admitted. On the first day of rehearsal, he received recognition and encouragement from the band's performers. During halftime, the performers gave this young conductor warm applause. Although there were some problems during the rehearsal the next day, by the third day, the previous adjustment had produced a chemical reaction, and all the problems were easily solved. "Participating in the Shanghai Summer Music Festival for three consecutive years has been a great leap for me at every step. Looking back now, I am not very satisfied with my performance three years ago, but it also shows the growth and transformation that MISA has brought to me in the past three years."

This is Jinyu Mine's third appearance at the summer music festival, conducting the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra for the first time

The Shanghai Summer Music Festival witnessed the departure of many young musicians, including Jin Yukuang. This year, the GCG Navigation Orchestra incubated by the "Blue Bird Plan" will make its debut on the MISA stage; The youngest winner of the 3rd Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, Yoshimoto Rino, will collaborate with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Stern to perform Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major; Zhang Fang, who won the BBC Young Musician Award at the age of 17, will also perform at the MISA outdoor venue.

At the opening concert, Romon, a loyal audience member of the Summer Music Festival, said, "At MISA, you can see world-renowned musicians and also meet some young faces who bring fresh, energetic, and creative music. For me, MISA is the reason why I like Shanghai and summer."

Jin Yukuang and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra