Introduction
Beijing Symphony Orchestra
Beijing Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was founded in October 1977, and has enjoyed strong growth and development under the guidance of the ‘First Generation’ of Chinese conductors: Maestro’s such as: Li Delun and Huang Feili, until now it has become one of the most renown of orchestras in China, and the world. Maestro Tan Lihua is the current Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.
Being the symphony orchestra of the nation’s capital, the BSO has attracted many musicians of great artistic record. The BSO has gained high acclaim and wide praise from audiences around the world because of its high artistic standard, wide repertoire, and uniquely Chinese articulation. The BSO is an orchestra which is unsurpassed within the PR China.
When entering the 1990’s, the orchestra underwent adjustments on a large scale with the support of the Municipality of Beijing. Led by its current music director, considerable progress was made in its level of performance through the methods of hard work and diligent practice, and disciplined management.
As a professional orchestra, the BSO performs a wide range of concerts every music season. In addition to the regular concerts conducted by its music director, the BSO enjoys a reputation for being a facile organization for collaboration, having worked with many of the most esteemed conductors from all over the globe. Each year, the orchestra presents over 80 major concert events. The pieces and styles presented represent a wide range of genres and tastes. In addition, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra has taken part in countless international cultural exchanges on behalf of both the nation of China and its capital city.
The repertoire of the BSO is wide-ranging and involves representative works of every period, major composer, and national origin.
The list of composers in the BSO repertoire is extensive, including: Haydn; Mozart; Beethoven; Schubert; Berlioz; Mendelssohn; Bruckner; Brahms; Tchaikovsky; Dvorak; Mahler; Sibelius; Rachmaninoff; Prokofiev; Shostakovich; Liszt, Wagner; Verdi; Offenbach; Smetana; Saint-Saens; Delibes; Bizet; Bruch; Mussorgsky; Grieg; Rimsky-Korsakov; Debussy; Dukas; Glazunov; Respighi; Bartok; Stravinsky; Gershwin; and Copland (to name more than a few). It was the Beijing Symphony Orchestra that gave the Chinese premier of Dvorak’s Symphonies No. 6 in D Major, and No. 7 in D Minor as well as Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in D Major.
Two remarkable BSO CDs were released by the world renowned - EMI records LTD., in 2007. The programs include Bartok – Concerto for Orchestra; Bao Yuankai’s Symphony, “Peking Opera”; and Tang Jianping’s percussion concerto, “Sacred Fire 2008”. This effort by the BSO marks the first time that EMI recorded a world-wide release in cooperation with a Chinese conductor and a Chinese symphony orchestra.
In July of 2008, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra completed recording the newly updated versions of the Chinese National Anthems and new Olympic Hymn (for the Beijing 2008 Olympics- the Games of the XXIX Olympiad). This recording includes 212 anthems and the Olympic Hymn. This recording has received the approval and endorsement of the International Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, the International Organizing Committee for the Paralympics’ Games, as well as all member countries and areas. This landmark recording will be preserved as part of the cultural heritage of the Olympic Games and will be used as well for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. This recording is a tribute to the glory of China and also its capital, Beijing, and will serve as an everlasting memorial to the cultural and historical wealth of the Olympiad.
The BSO proudly accepts the responsibility for developing and promoting Chinese ethnic symphonic music. Every year it presents a great many works of domestic composers in its music season. Works of Wang Xilin; Bao Yuankai; Huang Anlun; and Xu Zhenmin have all been premiered by the BSO. Through its support of modern Chinese composers, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra has made remarkable contributions to the development of the Chinese symphonic repertoire, as well as elevating that repertoire to an international level.
Not only does the orchestra continually give performances to young students and citizens in order to popularize symphonic music, but the BSO also performs many live broadcast concerts for CCTV. The BSO’s performance on the Badaling Great Wall in 1996, which was broadcast through satellite, helped to unveil and reveal both the ancient Chinese civilization and the modern Chinese culture to the world. This event left an indelible imprint on all who took part in it, either as spectator or performer.
The BSO has been invited to visit many foreign countries to perform concert tours, including cities in Germany, Austria, Croatia, Korea, and Asia. In 2001, 2003 and 2006, under the auspices of the well-known German Munich Hortnagel Performance Agent Company, the BSO completed three highly successful European Tours. The critics throughout Europe wrote and reported highly of this concert tour. In Germany, Suddentsche Zeitung commented on the excellence of the performance of BSO. From a review out of Rosenheim, Germany: “the Beijing Symphony orchestra could not be called anything other than a world-class orchestra. This sizeable orchestra produced an impressive sound, with clear notes framed in a rigorous structure”. The Nurnberger Zeitung reported that: “The (Beijing Symphony) Orchestra cooperated so well, its performance brought us sober wind.” The Nurnberger Daily also praised the BSO with the following: “The performance of Beijing Symphony Orchestra was marvelous. We just doubted were they born in Czech? How can they play Dvorak’s work so well?” The Boblingen Daily said: “They were exact Asian style, so well disciplined! Every part goes in harmony with each of the others. They are just shining diamonds.” The Villach Daily in Austria felt that “the BSO showed herself to be a young music group with trained, brilliant performers who were overflowing with enthusiasm”.
In its long-term musical aspirations and activities, the BSO has benefited through cooperation with numerous symphony orchestras and conductors from both home and abroad. They include: the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the Germany Broadcasting Union Symphony Orchestra; and the Australia ABC Symphony Orchestra. The foreign maestros working with the BSO include: Evgeny Svtlanov (Russia); Jean Perisson (France); Herbert Zipper (USA); Ronald Schweitzer (USA); David Porcelijn (Dutch); Hans Herbert Joris (Germany).
Also having worked with the BSO, are the famous tenors: Jose Carreras; Andrea Bocelli; Marco Berti; as well as the famous soprano, Sarah Brightman, among others.
Chinese maestros conducting the symphony include: Li Delun; Huang Feili; Huang Xiaotong; Yan Liangkun; Han Zhongjie; Choo Hoey; Chen Xieyang; Xu Xin; Tang Muhai; Chen Zuohuang; Shui Lan; and Shao En.
Many noted soloists have chosen to collaborate with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra including: pianists Lazer Berman; Vladimir Ovchinnikov; and Vladimir Feltsman; Fu Cong; Liu Shikun; Yin Chengzong; Hsu Fei-ping; Lang Lang; Li Yun Di; Kong Xiangdong; Sun Yingdi; violinists Jean Mouilere (France); A. Tellefsen (Norway); Vadim Repin; Sarah Chang; Cho-Liang Lin; Takako Nishizaki; Xue Wei; and Lu Siqing; percussionist: Li Biao; and the well-known electric-music Maestro Jean Michel Jarre (France).
The BSO originated and is the centerpiece of the prestigious Beijing New Year Concert Series. Lead by BSO Music Director, Maestro Tan Lihua, the BSO has keynoted all of the Beijing New Year Concerts. The BSO always welcomes in the New Year from the Great Hall of People and hundreds of millions of Chinese enjoy this celebration through the live national video broadcast.
Stepping into the 21st century, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will continue realizing its mission of presenting the most graceful and skillfully executed performances of classic and new orchestral works to music lovers worldwide.