On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the “New Oriental Chinese Music Scene”, hosted by China Culture Center in Stockholm and presented in collaboration with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, was held at Stockholm Concert Hall on the evening of September 5. All more than 1,300 seats were filled. Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Zhou Limin and his wife Zhang Guoying, Minister Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of China in Sweden and Director of China Culture Center in Stockholm, Li Rui. As well as representatives of diplomatic missions, Swedish friends from various sectors, overseas Chinese, representatives of Chinese enterprises and international students, gathered to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As a highlight of the “A Moonment to Remember” series, the concert also formed part of the celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of China Culture Center in Stockholm.The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra presented a rich selection of Chinese traditional music. Guzheng, dizi, pipa, jinghu, drum, sheng, ruan, erhu and suona were among the instruments featured. Works including The Spirit of Langya, Spirit of Chinese Calligraphy, Farewell to My Concubine and Landscape showcased the distinctive sounds and expressive range of Chinese tr aditional music.
Phoenix Dance for suona and orchestra was one of the highlights of the evening. Suona player Hu Chenyun gave a remarkable performance of the piece, based on the traditional work A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix. His mastery of the challenging circular breathing technique kept the melody flowing seamlessly, while his powerful and vibrant playing filled the concert hall. The performance was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience.
China Moon is one of Swedish pianist Robert Wells’ most representative China-inspired works, composed after his visit to the Great Wall.
At the concert, Robert Wells sent his sincere Mid-Autumn Festival greetings by video. Chinese erhu player Dong Shiluan and Swedish violinist Semmy Stahlhammer then performed China Moon for erhu, violin and orchestra. The interplay of the erhu and violin created a warm dialogue between Eastern and Western musical traditions, expressing a heartfelt longing for reunion and home. The performance brought the concert to a highlight.
The concert was filled with highlights, and the applause continued long after the final notes. Responding to the audience’s enthusiastic request, the artists of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra returned for an encore performance of the well-known Chinese piece Blossoms under the Full Moon. Its joyful and festive melody brought the atmosphere to another peak. As the music came to an end, the entire audience rose to their feet in applause, with cheers and enthusiastic acclaim filling the hall.
The “New Oriental Chinese Music Scene” concert brought the beauty and contemporary expression of Chinese traditional music to Stockholm, using music as a bridge for cultural exchange. It added a vibrant touch to “A Moonment to Remember” and offered a memorable cultural celebration marking the 10th anniversary of China Culture Center in Stockholm.
