Debra Li

    Debra_lidan@163.com

    MORE than four decades ago, when the Philadelphia Orchestra made their first visit to China and brought classical Western music to the Chinese audience, Tan Dun was a 16-year-old farmer in his home in Hunan Province. That concert was broadcast on the radio across the country, and Tan heard it out in the fields.

    On May 29, the Philadelphia Orchestra will debut in Shenzhen, playing Tan’s “Nushu,” a symphony for 13 microfilms, harp and orchestra, as well as Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece “Symphony No. 6.”

    Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, around 100 Philadelphia Orchestra musicians will bring their distinctive “sound of Philadelphia” to the local stage.

    “So here you have this wonderful full-circle moment where Tan Dun heard the music in 1973, said to his parents ‘that’s what I want to do’ and now he’s doing it and this will be the third or fourth piece we have commissioned on behalf of the Philadelphia Orchestra of Tan’s work,” said Craig Hamilton with the orchestra during an interview Monday.

    Nushu is a disappearing language with a long vocal tradition created by women in Hunan in the 13th century. A large part of the tradition is steeped in the creation of “Third-day Missives,” which were a way for the women to secretly express their thoughts and emotions to one another in a booklet that was given on the third day of a marriage ceremony.

    The 13 microfilms about mothers, daughters and sisters’ lives, derived from Tan’s field recordings, serve as the center of his composition. Tan selected the harp as the solo instrument for the piece, because of “its beautiful feminine sounds” and distinctive physical shape — similar to ancient Nushu characters.

    Elizabeth Hainen, principal harpist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and for whom the piece was composed, debuted the piece at Shanghai International Art Festival last year. The orchestra gave the U.S. debut of “Nushu” in Philadelphia in November. Its international debut was by the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo in May, conducted by the composer himself.

    “That’s a moving experience,” Hamilton said. “The music and the story it tells.”

    The orchestra has chosen this program for the Chinese tour also in the hope that young Chinese people can reflect on their own culture.

    To get it right, “Tan Dun and Yannick spent many hours working together in person and on the telephone, so that, by the time the orchestra gave the U.S. premiere, the orchestra musicians were very familiar with all the work and research Tan had done, the message Tan was trying to convey and also the meaning behind the message,” Hamilton said.

    “It’s a truly remarkable and beautiful piece of music that uses the full orchestra very well, and almost every section is featured in this piece.”

    Nicholas Platt, a senior diplomat who accompanied American President Richard Nixon on the historic trip to Beijing in 1972 and who has since helped with cultural exchanges between the two nations, agreed with Hamilton. He was at the U.S. premiere of “Nushu.”

    “I thought it a beautiful piece, one that brings together very beautiful music traditions, videos and singing. It stands alone as a piece of artistic work, but it’s part of something that’s much broader. That is, in the United States, and other parts of the world, there’s a great deal of interest in women’s rights and how women are treated,” Platt said.

    Chinese people’s interest in Western orchestra music goes back a long way, but the trend to try and amalgamate Chinese and Western music traditions is relatively recent, Platt noted.

    It was a coincidence that the “Yellow River Concerto” premiered in the United States performed by pianist Daniel Epstein with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by Eugene Ormandy in 1973.

    With Tan’s work, the Philadelphia Orchestra is returning to China to honor friendly ties. The orchestra also promises more. During its stay in Shenzhen, the orchestra will send violinists to visit and perform for young patients at the Children’s Hospital, give a master class and lecture to music students.

    “There is a tremendous amount of talent coming out of China. This is something many Western orchestras recognize. Many Chinese musicians today are members of famous ensembles,” Hamilton said.

    “That’s a tradition we hope to continue to cultivate; maybe we will locate new talent while we are working here. This community has a lot to offer, and Shenzhen’s musicians are ready for the world stage.”

    He said he was impressed by the city’s creativity, and the orchestra will try to help local musicians reach a broader audience in the future.

    The thriving Chinese economy and a new generation of enthusiastic music fans have positioned China as an important market for classical music. For the Philadelphia Orchestra, which struggled through financial difficulties in 2011 and 2012, the Chinese market is a gold mine to be rediscovered.

    “There is always the commercial element, and there is the cultural exchange element,” Platt said. “These go hand in hand.”

    Unlike orchestras in Asia and Europe, which have substantial financial support from their governments, the Philadelphia Orchestra depends on a multi-stream system of funding, from individuals, corporate sponsors, foundations, and the government too, Hamilton explained.

    “Cultural exchange is a two-way street. We’re happy to share music and art management models with Chinese orchestras, and we are eager to know what Chinese musicians are doing.”

    With Kohler backing its tour, the orchestra will also stop in Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Macao, Tokyo, Tainan and Taipei between May 22 and June 6.

“Nushu” by Tan Dun

“Symphony No. 6” by Tchaikovsky

Time: 8 p.m., May 29

Prices: Starting from 380 yuan

Reservation: 8284-1888

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Longgang or Longhua Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit C or D

    About the conductor

    Yannick Nézet-Séguin, born in 1975, is a French-Canadian conductor and pianist. He currently holds leadership posts with the Metropolitan Orchestra in Montreal, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is widely recorded on major classical music labels conducting symphonies, recitals, and opera.

    He began to play the piano at 5, and decided to become an orchestra conductor at 10.

    He studied piano at the Quebec Conservatory of Music and was a top student there. He also studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and took many master classes with renowned conductors.

    In December 2008, Nézet-Séguin made his first appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the invitation of then chief conductor Charles Dutoit. In June 2010, he was named the 8th music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, starting with the 2012-13 season.

    Since 2009, Nézet-Séguin has made annual appearances with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He also works with renowned ensembles in the United Kingdom and has numerous recordings with EMI Classics and other labels.