FULL Ode to Rivers, Lakes, and Seas (Tang Jianping) Suzhou 2025 Fan Xueyan, Xia Xintao

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Ode to Rivers, Lakes, and Seas  
• Composer: Tang Jianping  
• Libretto: Ge Xun  
• Venue & Opera Company: Suzhou National Orchestra Concert Hall, Suzhou, China  
• Recorded: May 20th, 2025
• Type: Concert Live
• Singers: Fan Xueyan, Xia Xintao
• Conductor: Pang Kapang  
• Orchestra: Suzhou Chinese Orchestra  
• Chorus: Jiangsu Performing Arts Group "Journey of Love" Choir  
• Stage Director:   
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Suzhou Chinese Orchestra  
• Date Published: 2025  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs, cnsubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  The concert opened with the majestic “The Great River Flows East,” where the ensemble of suonas and the booming of five Chinese drums resembled crashing waves. The middle section shifted to a powerful, motivic melody, creating a majestic atmosphere. During the Kunqu opera recitation “Spring Warmth on the River,” Kong Aiping’s clear, melodious voice complemented the orchestra beautifully. The orchestra’s harmonic transitions were delicate and elegant, and the theme melody of “Spring River Flower Moon Night” naturally flowed into the music, as if ink paintings were permeating the melodies. “The Long River Sings” strung together the joys and sorrows of life in Jiangnan, seamlessly blending the charm of the Grand Canal’s banks into its elegant melody. In the double concerto “Clouds and Water Flowing Waves” for flute and polyphonic zither, young musician Pang Haiyuan’s flute playing was like drifting clouds, while Wang Yuzhen’s polyphonic zither sounded like a clear spring. The playful melody introduced by folk songs leaped within the orchestra’s light rhythm, creating a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

  The second half of the concert, “Gentle Breeze on the Lakeside,” used the tranquil and beautiful melodies of the string ensemble to depict the serenity of the gentle ripples on Taihu Lake, with the subtle and layered waves evoking the everyday life of a water town. In the erhu concerto “Starry Sky Reflected in Water,” Zhu Changyao’s performance was like starlight scattered across the lake; the mellow timbre and delicate vibrato complemented each other perfectly, blending seamlessly with the ethereal background of the orchestra, leaving the audience breathless and captivated.

  The choral symphonies “Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies” and “Sailing Far Away” brought the concert to a climax. Fan Xueyan and Xia Xintao’s soaring and passionate lead vocals, along with the chorus’s harmonies surging like ocean waves, symbolized the magnificent picture of the Chinese nation forging ahead against the tides. Peng Jiapeng commanded the entire performance with his superb conducting skills and surging emotional expression. Complex tempos, dynamics, textures, and harmonic colors all changed with the movement of his baton. Under the conductor’s guidance, the orchestra, soloists, and chorus burst forth with boundless tension. The music layered up like giant waves crashing in the sky, playing out the magnificent declaration of the Chinese nation to “cross mountains and seas and pursue dreams to the stars”.

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