Chamber music festival a dream come true
Famed musicians from around the world opened the first edition of Z+Festival at Shanghai Symphony Hall on April 12.
The inaugural Z+ Festival, an international chamber music festival, opened over the weekend at the Shanghai Symphony Hall.
The 10-day festival, initiated by pianist Zee Zee, includes eight concerts featuring musicians from all around the world including Clara-Jumi Kang, Ning Feng, Zhang Haochen, and Diotima Quartet, among others.
"I got very interested in chamber music when I was studying in the US over 10 years ago," Zee Zee, founder and artistic director of the festival, explained.
"I really enjoyed all the times when musician friends played music spontaneously, after dinner, like a music salon.
"I have wanted to put that salon on stage for quite a few years, and it's a dream to invite friends whose performances I really enjoy and play the pieces I really love. This festival is basically that dream of mine coming true."
The ten-day festival includes eight concerts of various styles and genres.
The opening concert, held on April 12, is an indicator of the festival's star-studded performances and wide range of styles.
The opening program not only has eight musicians for Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in E-flat major, but also includes the China premiere of Kapustin's Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra.
Renowned for blending jazz and classic music, contemporary composer Kapustin isn't performed often for Chinese audiences.
It is also the first time that violinist Ning Feng and pianist Zhang Haochen have collaborated on a piece they know little about. It was strongly recommended by Zee Zee.
"I was a little hesitant when Zee Zee first recommended this contemporary piece," Zhang recalled.
"It's more difficult to judge contemporary works that I haven't heard or practiced, even from a great composer like Kapustin.
"I was totally impressed after hearing the piece, and it became an easy sell. It intrigued me also because I want to have more opportunities to play jazz-relevant pieces, which is rare for me. It is more fun."
Violinist Ning Feng and pianist Zhang Haochen perform the China premiere of Kapustin's Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra.
The festival's program includes quite a few classics from Brahms, Dvorak, and Schumann, as well as more contemporary works like "Silent Songs" by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, which will have its China premiere sung by bass-baritone Shen Yang.
The songs were composed in the 1970s, and the lyrics are contemplative poems by writers that the composer admired ranging from Russian poets Pushkin, Mandelstam, Yesenin and Baratynsky to English writers Keats and Shelley in Russian translation.
"I take a deep bow to poetry, waiting for poetry itself to sing," Shen said of his choice of the program.
As a soloist, Zuo was able to look from the other side when putting the festival together, and is grateful for the support that comes from Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
"I know how challenging it is to organize a festival like this from my own role, so it's very courageous and also creative for Zee Zee to have done so," said Zhou Ping, head of the symphony orchestra.
"We have also tried to provide more of a stage for chamber music here, and definitely hope to build a better environment, gather more fans, and invite more international chamber musicians to Shanghai via our chamber music series and new opportunities like Z+ Festival.
"I hope this festival continues and will become an annual must-go for chamber music fans."
Gabriel Faure.
Hidden Gems.
