The Shanghai Philharmonic 2022-2023 Music Season concludes with Bruckner's "Eighth Symphony" once again playing the Philharmonic Orchestra | Music Season | Philharmonic

On the evening of July 16th, Art Director Zhang Yi led the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, marking the end of the 2022-2023 music season. This season, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra held a total of 23 performances, including 17 hosting concerts, 4 chamber music concerts, and 2 weekly radio concerts. In addition, the band also brought 7 red music concerts and 23 public welfare performances.

A Bruckner Marathon

The ending of the music season with Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor has unusual significance for the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2018, Zhang Yi has led the orchestra to complete the rehearsal, performance, and recording of the complete Anton Bruckner Symphony across four seasons. The Eighth Symphony in C minor is Bruckner's longest symphony, which embodies the grand style of Bruckner's symphony.

The Brookner Symphony Journey of Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra began six years ago. In October 2017, German conductor Peter Flo led the orchestra to perform Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 in A major, marking the first time that "Bu Liu" was performed by a Chinese orchestra on the Shanghai stage. Over the following year, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra collaborated with renowned conductors Jorge Ivell, L ü Jia, and Peter Flo to present Symphony No. 7 in E major, Symphony No. 8 in C minor, and Symphony No. 9 in D minor.

After experiencing the works of Bruckner's peak creative period, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra returned to the early works of composers. Zhang Yi, along with the deputy director and permanent conductor Zhang Liang, led the orchestra to complete the performances of "C Minor Symphony No. 2" and "C Minor Symphony No. 1" during the 2019-2020 music season. From June to July 2020, Zhang Yi led the orchestra to perform Brookner's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major and Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major in just one month.

In 2021, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra launched a completion plan for the Bruckner Symphony, incorporating two unnumbered symphonies into the performance schedule. In February, conductor Lv Jia collaborated with Shanghai Philharmonic to present two rare Bruckner symphonies, "Symphony in F minor" and "Symphony No. 3 in D minor", at the same concert. In July, the remaining unnumbered work, Symphony No. 0, was completed by Zhang Yi and the orchestra. At this point, the orchestra has officially completed the complete performance of the entire set of 11 Bruckner Symphonies.

Generations of composers have been passed down through generations

Looking back at the 2022-2023 music season, many fans still have vivid memories of the wordless version of "The Ring of Nibelungen" being performed in both Beijing and Shanghai. The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra has gathered more than 120 musicians to perform on stage, with 8 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 2 timpani drums, 4 harps, and 36 violins in a super large arrangement, presenting Wagner's stunning and authentic performance to the audience, completing another "Twin Cities Record" of Beijing and Shanghai.

In addition to interpreting Western classics, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra has also continuously performed and promoted Chinese works in recent years. In the 2022-2023 music season, Shanghai Philharmonic will restart the "Red Sentiment" series of concerts, from 92 year old group leader Lv Qiming's "Ode to the Red Flag", to "Post-60s" composer Zhao Guang's "Shikumen Rhapsody", and then to "Post-90s" resident composer Gong Tianpeng's "Centennial Ode".

Lv Qiming said, "We should express the thoughts and emotions of the people, care about the fate and future of our country, and only in this way can we write literary and artistic works that are grounded, muscular, moral, and warm." The latest piano and band "Ode to the Red Flag" released in 2022, based on the final version in 2019, strengthens the role of the piano in the band and adds optional improvised colorful segments.

In addition, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra has rooted itself in the fertile soil of traditional culture and embarked on a new exploration of "national style+symphony". On the evening of July 9th, Gong Tianpeng, a resident composer, performed three original works at the 2023 Music Concert, including the Tang Song Suite, piano concerto The Midnight Bell, and Chinese Painting Symphony, with the theme of "poetic and picturesque". Gong Tianpeng said, "These famous poems and paintings not only have strong musicality, storytelling, and symphony, but also contain the personal experiences and inner world of these great authors. We hope to inspire modern people with the patriotism and national spirit of the ancients."

Restart international music exchange

International music exchange is also restarting during the 2022-2023 music season. On the evening of May 12th, Dutch conductor Hubert Sudante returned to the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra Music Season and performed three works: Haydn's Symphony No. 1 in D major, Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, and Schubert's Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major. Two collaborations with Shanghai Philharmonic left a deep impression on Sudante. "Shanghai is a very beautiful city, and the audience in Shanghai is also very enthusiastic. In my opinion, Shanghai and Paris are the two most interesting cities in the world."

In "Literary Stories in Symphony", the representative works of the two literary giants, "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", embark on a wonderful journey of music and literature. In the Sino French Music Dialogue, French musician Olivier Messian and Chinese composer Chen Qigang perform a continuous teacher-student relationship.

Zhang Yi also coached the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra twice, collaborating with pianist Chen Sa. One was a performance of Mozart and Beethoven in November last year, and the other was at the Chenshan Grassland Radio Music Festival in June this year, showcasing Rachmaninov's works to 5000 viewers.

During the 2022-2023 music season, the band also attempted different forms of crossover music. Four fragrance concerts with the theme of "season", exploring more possibilities of hearing and smell. At a height of 239 meters, four chamber music concerts were consecutively held at the South Hall of the flagship store of Duoyun Academy, located at the pinnacle of Shanghai. The band walked out of the concert hall and integrated music into the daily lives of citizens.