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Back to Press Release List > 09/18/2009 - Composers of China's “Class of 1978” in Carnegie Hall's “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices” Festival

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CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
— ANCIENT PATHS, MODERN VOICES —
October 21–November 10, 2009

WEEK TWO OF CARNEGIE HALL’S FESTIVAL OF
CHINESE CULTURE FEATURES MUSIC BY COMPOSERS
FROM CHINA’S REMARKABLE “CLASS OF 1978”



Ensemble ACJW Performs Works by Chen Qigang, Chen Yi,
Guo Wenjing, Bright Sheng, and Zhou Long
Flushing Town Hall, Queens—October 25
Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall—October 26

Juilliard Orchestra Performs Two World Premieres:
Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto with Cho-Liang Lin on October 26;
Chen Qigang’s Er Huang Piano Concerto with
Michael Tilson Thomas and Lang Lang on October 28

Festival Concerts by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra,
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, and
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Feature Music Written
by the Vanguard of Contemporary Chinese Composers

From October 21 to November 10, 2009, Carnegie Hall presents Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, paying tribute to China’s diverse and vibrant culture and its influence around the world with 21 days of events at Carnegie Hall and throughout the city at New York partner institutions.

The second week of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices launches a thematic focus on music written by composers from China’s famed “Class of 1978,” a theme that continues throughout the festival. The “Class of 1978” refers specifically to the year of entry into Beijing’s Central Conservatory by many of the festival’s featured composers. But the phrase is also a blanket term used to describe musicians in the first class of China’s conservatories, reopened after Mao’s decade long Cultural Revolution during which Western classical music and its study were banned in the country. Instead, these composers—many who were from China’s creative, urban, intellectual families—were forcibly uprooted as youths to the countryside for reeducation. Ancient Paths, Modern Voices features music by seven of these Beijing-trained composers, as well as by a contemporary who studied at the Shanghai Conservatory, who went on to revitalize contemporary classical music in China: For more information on China’s “Class of 1978,” including video interviews, essays, and an interactive class photo, visit carnegiehall.org/chinafestival.

Ensemble ACJW, featuring musicians from The Academy, kicks off the “Class of 1978” focus with a program of chamber works by some of these composers, performed at a free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert at Flushing Town Hall in Queens on Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m., and repeated the following night at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. Other festival concerts of note during this week are two programs by the Juilliard Orchestra: an all-Tan Dun program presented by the Juilliard School and featuring the world premiere of his Violin Concerto “The Love” performed by violinist Cho-Liang Lin and conducted by the composer on Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center; and a concert at Carnegie Hall featuring the world premiere of Chen Qigang’s piano concerto Er Huang (commissioned by Carnegie Hall) led by Michael Tilson Thomas with pianist Lang Lang on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage.

Other events featuring composers from the “Class of 1978” follow in the festival’s final two weeks, including concerts by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, as well as a panel discussion on contemporary Chinese arts at Asia Society featuring Tan Dun. Complete program information is below.

Tickets for all events at Carnegie Hall are on sale now at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or online at carnegiehall.org. In conjunction with Ancient Paths, Modern Voices, Carnegie Hall has launched a special web site: carnegiehall.org/chinafestival. This online companion features the most up-to-date information on festival events, video interviews and performance excerpts from featured artists, and insights into Chinese culture and festival programs.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture is made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.


Ensemble ACJW, “Class of 1978”: October 25 and October 26
The Ancient Paths, Modern Voices celebration of the “Class of 1978” launches on Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m. with a free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert presented by The Weill Music Institute at Flushing Town Hall in Queens performed by Ensemble ACJW, featuring musicians from The Academy, a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The chamber music program, which is repeated at Weill Recital Hall on Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m., features Chen Qigang’s Instants d’un Opéra de Pékin for Solo Piano; Chen Yi’s Qi for Flute, Cello, Percussion, and Piano; Bright Sheng’s String Quartet No. 3; Guo Wenjing’s Parade for Six Peking Opera Gongs, Op. 40; and Zhou Long’s Taigu Rhyme for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion.


Juilliard Orchestra, Premieres by Tan Dun and Chen Qigang: October 26 and October 28
The music of Tan Dun is featured in a performance by the Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by the composer, on Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Alice Tully Hall. The orchestra is joined by violinist Cho-Liang Lin for the world premiere of Tan Dun’s new Violin Concerto “The Love.” The program also features Tan’s works Concerto for Six (1997), Secret Land for Orchestra and 12 Violoncelli (2006), and Silk Road (1989).

Two days later, on Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, the Juilliard Orchestra comes to Carnegie Hall under conductor Michael Tilson Thomas to perform the world premiere of Chen Qigang’s new piano concerto, Er Huang, written for and performed by the pianist Lang Lang. Er Huang is inspired by Chen’s childhood memories of Peking opera and takes its title from a famous opera melody Er Huang yuan ban. Also on this program are Chinese works for solo piano performed by Lang Lang and Eastern-inspired music by western composers: Lou Harrison’s “The Family of the Court” from Pacifika Rondo and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and tenor Gregory Kunde. Er Huang was commissioned by Carnegie Hall through the generosity of Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

Other “Class of 1978” Festival Events
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra: October 30 at 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, one the world’s leading symphonic ensembles of traditional Chinese instruments, and Artistic Director Yan Huichang perform Guo Wenjing’s Three Melodies of West Yunnan, inspired by the folk music and customs of the Va and Jino tribes of Yunnan province in southeastern China. The program also includes works by Law Wing-Fai, Zhao Jiping, and Cheng Dazhao. Presented by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Panel Discussion: China Art(s) Today: November 2 at 7:00 p.m., Asia Society
Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum, moderates a partner event panel discussion exploring contemporary Chinese arts with avant-garde artist Wenda Gu and award-winning composer Tan Dun. Two of China’s most provocative and adventuresome artistic voices talk about their work and ponder future directions for themselves and for contemporary Chinese art(s). The very process of creating work has become increasingly fluid and complex and Chinese artists are working at the intersection of national identity and global culture. Presented by Asia Society.

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra: November 4 at 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Music Director David Robertson leads the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in a program to include percussion concertos by Bright Sheng (Colors of Crimson) and Tan Dun (Water Concerto) with percussionist Colin Currie. Also on the program are Stravinsky’s Chant du rossignol and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, works by Western composers inspired by Chinese culture.

New Juilliard Ensemble: November 9 at 8:00 p.m., Alice Tully Hall
This partner event by the New Juilliard Ensemble, led by Founding Director and conductor Joel Sachs, includes works written during the past 10 years by composers living and working in China today, including Liu Sola (In Corporeal 1), Ye Xiaogang (world premiere of a new work entitled J), and Guo Wenjing (Concertino for Cello and Chamber Orchestra). Also on the program is Three Images from Ink and Wash Painting by Jia Daqun, a contemporary of the “Class of 1978” composers who originally studied for eight years as a painter. Presented by The Juilliard School.

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra: November 10 at 8:00 p.m., Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Ancient Paths, Modern Voices closes at Carnegie Hall with a performance by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the oldest symphonic ensemble in China, under the baton of newly appointed Music Director Long Yu. The program features Iris dévoilée, a signature work by Chen Qigang, which highlights three traditional Chinese instruments—the pipa, erhu, and zheng—along with three female voices. This program also includes Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with soloist Lang Lang.


Ancient Paths, Modern Voices
This fall, Carnegie Hall presents Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, paying tribute to China’s diverse and vibrant culture and its influence around the world with 21 days of events at Carnegie Hall and New York partner institutions, presented from October 21 to November 10, 2009. An exciting new alliance between Carnegie Hall and Segerstrom Center for the Arts will also bring select Ancient Paths, Modern Voices programming to Costa Mesa, California, resulting in a festival presented simultaneously by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and partner institutions on the West Coast from October 11 to November 24, 2009.

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices features performances by leading international musicians, including some artists traveling outside China for the first time. Festival performances will feature many genres of music—from Western symphonic and chamber music influenced by Chinese culture to Chinese traditional folk music and contemporary music, including premieres by internationally recognized Chinese composers Chen Qigang, Tan Dun, and Angel Lam. The festival exploration also includes a wide variety of other offerings on each coast, including traditional marionette theater, dance, film screenings, calligraphy, panel discussions, and art exhibitions, offering insights into a world that mixes the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the cutting-edge.

With over 30 events, the reach of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices in New York will be extended throughout the city through partnerships between Carnegie Hall and other prestigious cultural institutions: Asia Society, China Institute, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, The Juilliard School, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Chinese in America, and The Paley Center for Media, as well as through a series of free Neighborhood Concerts presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in the community venues of Flushing Town Hall in Queens as well as Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement and The Performance Project @ University Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.


Ancient Paths, Modern Voices Program Information

(All programs presented by Carnegie Hall unless otherwise noted.)

Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Flushing Town Hall, The Theater
137-35 Northern Blvd. (at the corner of Linden Place)
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: ENSEMBLE ACJW
Featuring musicians of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education

CLASS OF 1978

CHEN QIGANG Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin for Solo Piano
CHEN YI Qi for Flute, Cello, Percussion, and Piano
BRIGHT SHENG String Quartet No. 3
GUO WENJING Parade for Six Peking Opera Gongs, Op. 40
ZHOU LONG Taigu Rhyme for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion

Sponsored by Target

Presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

Tickets: Free (Seating is limited. First come, first serve. Public Phone: 718-463-7700 x222)
____________________________________

Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Weill Recital Hall
ENSEMBLE ACJW
Featuring musicians of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education

CLASS OF 1978

CHEN QIGANG Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin for Solo Piano
CHEN YI Qi for Flute, Cello, Percussion, and Piano
BRIGHT SHENG String Quartet No. 3
GUO WENJING Parade for Six Peking Opera Gongs, Op. 40
ZHOU LONG Taigu Rhyme for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion

Tickets: $25
____________________________________

Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Alice Tully Hall
CHINA FESTIVAL PARTNER EVENT:
JUILLIARD ORCHESTRA
Tan Dun, Conductor
Cho-Liang Lin, Violin

ALL-TAN DUN PROGRAM
Concerto for Six
Secret Land for Orchestra and 12 Violoncelli
Silk Road
Violin Concerto "The Love" (World Premiere)

Presented by The Juilliard School.

Tickets: Free (Available two weeks before the event; for more information visit juilliard.edu.)
____________________________________

Wednesday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
JUILLIARD ORCHESTRA
Michael Tilson Thomas, Conductor
Lang Lang, Piano
Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-Soprano
Gregory Kunde, Tenor

LOU HARRISON “The Family of the Court” from Pacifika Rondo
Chinese works for solo piano
CHEN QIGANG Er Huang for Piano and Orchestra (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall through the generosity of Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife Marie-Josée)
GUSTAV MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture and this evening's performance are made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

This performance is sponsored by Deloitte LLP.

Tickets: $22, $25, $31, $41, $54, $59
____________________________________

Friday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
HONG KONG CHINESE ORCHESTRA
Yan Huichang, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Trey Lee, Cello

LAW WING-FAI Flowing Phantasm
GUO WENJING Three Melodies of West Yunnan
ZHAO JIPING Zhuang Zhou's Dream
CHENG DAZHAO The Yellow River Capriccio

Presented by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

Tickets: $28, $33, $41, $54, $72, $79
____________________________________

Monday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue
CHINA FESTIVAL PARTNER EVENT
PANEL DISCUSSION: CHINA ART(S) TODAY
Melissa Chiu, Moderator
Wenda Gu, Panelist
Tan Dun, Panelist

Join us for an evening with two of China’s most provocative and adventuresome artistic voices, avant-garde artist Wenda Gu and award-winning composer-conductor Tan Dun. In a conversation moderated by Melissa Chiu, Director of the Asia Society Museum, they will discuss their work and ponder future directions for themselves and other Chinese artists working at the intersection of national identity and global culture.

Presented by Asia Society

Tickets: $10 members, $15 non-members (for more information visit tickets.asiasociety.org or call 212- 517-ASIA.)
____________________________________

Wednesday, November 4 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
SAINT LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
David Robertson, Music Director and Conductor
Colin Currie, Percussion

IGOR STRAVINSKY Chant du rossignol
TAN DUN Water Concerto
BRIGHT SHENG Colors of Crimson
BÉLA BARTÓK The Miraculous Mandarin Suite

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with David Robertson in conversation with Jeremy Geffen, Director of Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall.

Tickets: $31, $37, $47, $63, $85, $94
____________________________________

Monday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Alice Tully Hall
CHINA FESTIVAL PARTNER EVENT
NEW JUILLIARD ENSEMBLE
Joel Sachs, Music Director and Conductor

Program to include:
GUO WENJING Concertino for Cello and Chamber Orchestra
JIA DAQUN Three Images from Ink and Wash Painting
LIU SOLA In Corporeal 1
YE XIAOGANG J (World Premiere)

Presented by The Juilliard School.

Tickets: Free (Available two weeks before the event; for more information visit juilliard.edu.)
____________________________________

Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
SHANGHAI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Long Yu, Music Director and Conductor
Lang Lang, Piano

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
CHEN QIGANG Iris dévoilée

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture and this evening's performance are made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

Tickets: $36, $43, $55, $74, $99, $109
____________________________________

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture is made possible by a leadership gift from Henry R. Kravis in honor of his wife, Marie-Josée.

Sponsored, in part, by Deloitte LLP
Additional funding from Roche and China Merchants Bank
____________________________________

The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—is made possible by a leadership gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Major funding has also been provided by Mercedes and Sid Bass, The Irving Harris Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Martha and Bob Lipp, Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse Jr., Judith and Burton Resnick, Susan and Elihu Rose, and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, with additional support from Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Bulgari, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Susan and Ed Forst, Mrs. Nancy A. Marks, The William Petschek Family, Suki Sandler, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

The Academy School Partnerships benefitting NYC public school students are made possible, in part, by Bank of America.

The Academy and Ensemble ACJW are made possible, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Recovery Act, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
____________________________________

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information
For events taking place at Carnegie Hall, tickets are on sale now at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. For festival partner events, please contact the partner for ticket information.

Festival Passports for events, priced at $10, are now on sale and provide discounts of 15% or more on tickets to nearly every event in this festival. For more information and programming updates, please visit carnegiehall.org/chinafestival.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.


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1981 class photo of the composers of Beijing’s Central Conservatory “Class of 1978”. Those pictured include Chen Qigang (top row, fourth from left), Ye Xiaogang (top row, sixth from left), Tan Dun (center row, fourth from right), Guo Wenjing (center row, third from right), Zhou Long (center row, second from right), Chen Yi (front row, second from left), and Liu Sola (front row, fourth from left).


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