Music flows for celebrated conductor's centennial

Chinese conductor Yan Liangkun (1923-2017), who is considered to be one of the nation's leading figures in choral music, was remembered in Beijing on Saturday, marking the 100th anniversary of his birthday.

A concert, performed by the China National Symphony Orchestra, was held at Beijing Concert Hall on the same day, commemorating Yan. Conductors Tan Lihua, Li Xincao, Jing Huan and Wang Linlin performed with the orchestra in the concert.

One of the music pieces performed at the concert was Yellow River Cantata.

In 1939, Xian Xinghai (1905-45) composed the legendary piece along with poet Guang Weiran, who was impressed and inspired by the galloping Yellow River. The work fueled patriotism during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). Since making its debut in the same year in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, a revolutionary base, the eight-movement cantata has been performed for decades by musicians and is still a firm favorite among audiences.

"The piece is closely connected with Yan, who conducted it for the first time in 1940 at the age of 17. In his lifetime, the conductor performed the piece over 1,000 times, including his last performance of it in 2015 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory over the Japanese," said Li before the concert.

"Yan studied with Xian, who conducted the first performance of Yellow River Cantata in Yan'an in 1939. Yan kept the spirit of Xian and conveyed the significant meaning of the music through his performances. He also trained Chinese conductors, passing his techniques and sharing his musical ideas," says Li, 52, who began studying conducting with Yan when he was 17 years old. Li was the former president of the China National Symphony Orchestra and now serves as the president of the China Conservatory of Music, as well as being an honorary conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Wuchang, Hubei province, on Dec 28, 1923, Yan began his music training with Xian in 1938 and later received further training in Chongqing. In 1947, he taught at a music school in Hong Kong as a conductor and composer. In 1949, Yan began to teach at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1954, Yan went to Moscow to further his music studies. He had been working with the China National Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as the Central Philharmonic Society, since 1958, where he co-initiated the chorus of the orchestra.

"I first recited the poem by Guang to the music of Yellow River Cantata about 40 years ago. I can still remember that I prepared the performance guided by Yan, who shared the same dressing room with me before the concert," says veteran TV host Qu Xianhe, 79, who recorded the poem along with Yan and the China National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the orchestra's chorus, in 1986. It was released by the record company PolyGram. "Every time we perform it, we can feel the same passion instilled in us by Yan. The passion and energy are also shared by the audience."

The concert also staged classic Chinese music pieces, including Symphony Suite by the late composer Li Ling.

According to Ye Xiaogang, composer and president of the China Musicians Association, besides performing Chinese music works, Yan was also dedicated to promoting classical music in China. In 1959, marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yan conducted Beethoven's Symphony No 9, which was the first time that the fourth movement of the masterpiece, Ode to Joy, was performed by the chorus of the Central Philharmonic Society and Chinese soloists, in Chinese.

In 1981, under the baton of Yan, the Central Philharmonic Society premiered Mozart's Requiem in D minor, K 626 in China.

"He (Yan) introduced a large amount of music from around the world and arranged musical works for chorus," says Ye.

After the Beijing concert, a further performance marking the 100th anniversary of Yan's birthday is being staged at Xinghai Concert Hall, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Friday.