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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Leisure -> 
Shows at Shenzhen Concert Hall
    2020-07-09  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

A summer night with

Mendelssohn

A talented musician who just like Mozart died young, German composer, conductor and pianist Mendelssohn is one of the most-celebrated figures of the early Romantic period. In his music Mendelssohn largely observed Classical models and practices while initiating key aspects of Romanticism — the artistic movement that exalted feeling and the imagination above rigid forms and traditions.

This Friday evening, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will present two of the composer’s most famous works under the baton of young conductor Sun Yifan, winner of the Bucharest international conducting competition in 2019.

The first half of the concert will feature the overture, scherzo, intermezzo, nocturne and wedding march from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name.

The overture was written when the composer was only 17 years old, and then in 1842, only a few years before his death, he wrote 14 short pieces based on themes and moods from the earlier piece. The complete work was first performed with the play Oct. 14, 1843. While a romantic piece in atmosphere, the overture incorporates many classical elements, being cast in sonata form and shaped by regular phrasings and harmonic transitions.

The wedding march, written to accompany the multiple weddings at the end of the play, recaptured the magical spirit of the overture. The set also includes a nimble fairies’ scherzo and a haunting nocturne rich with horns. The best-known movement is perhaps the wedding march, often played in modern wedding ceremonies.

SZSO will perform in the second half “Italian Symphony,” the byname of his “Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90,” so named because it was intended to evoke the sights and sounds of Italy. Its final movement, which is among the most strongly dramatic music the composer ever wrote, uses the rhythms of Neapolitan dances. The symphony premiered in London on March 13, 1833.

The work was a tremendous success, and Mendelssohn described it as “the jolliest piece and the most mature thing” he had written by then.

While musicologists couldn’t agree on the themes of the first three movements — some refer to the natural and cultural scenes of Venice, Rome and Florence — all agree that the final movement depicts a rural scene in southern Italy, for it blends two lively folk dance styles.

Unlike Mozart, Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy upper-class family and lived his whole life in joy and peace. In these two pieces, audiences will hear nothing other than expressions of poetic dreams, romantic love, natural beauty and a joyful life.

Sun, previously a pupil of Zhang Guoyong in conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, also learned piano with Li Minduo at the school. Winning the prestigious Jeunesses Musicales International Conducting Competition in Bucharest last year, he is now a student of Christian Ehwald at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin. He has also been serving as composer Tan Dun’s assistant.

Professor Wang Yong from Shanghai University will give a lecture about Mendelssohn and his music at 4:30 p.m. today to help audiences better understand the program.

The concert will be rerun at 8 p.m. on Saturday on v.qq.com.

Tickets: 50-880 yuan

Free Sunday concerts

On July 12, pianist Zuo Zhang will share with audience members her experiences about recording albums and performing live concerts. She will also share her understanding of great composers such as Beethoven.

On July 19, pianist Tong Xin will lecture about great composers while performing pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin.

On July 26, the New World Chamber players, all students or young graduates from prestigious music conservatories home and abroad, will perform a concert titled “The Carnival of the Animals in Summer.” The program will include a suite by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saens as well as other beloved pieces such as Vivaldi’s “Spring” and Piazzolla’s “Libertango.” The troupe will also perform an original composition and an improvised work.

Time: 3 p.m., July 12, 19, 26

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: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D(Debra Li)

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