Peking Opera meets Western instruments in Symphony No. 10
The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra's resident composer Gong Tianpeng has integrated traditional Peking Opera with Western instruments, in his Symphony No. 10 "Of Peking and Opera," which will be performed in a multimedia concert at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center on Sunday.
Gong said he had listened to a lot of Peking Opera pieces before dabbling in the crossover genre to create Symphony No. 10.
"There are composition patterns for traditional instruments, but I want to break the patterns and use orchestral instruments to express the emotion and personality of the opera characters," he said in an earlier interview.
Composer Gong Tianpeng (right) and Peking Opera master Shang Changrong.
The composition began in 2017 and lasted for two years, during which Gong studied opera patterns, and looked for inspiration from traditional opera classics.
Symphony No. 10 was performed at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts during a Chinese New Year concert in 2019. Peking Opera master Shang Changrong attended the performance, and was impressed by how the brass instruments demonstrated the spirit of traditional opera.
Three years after the birth of the symphony, Gong joined hands with the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater Company and other producing partners, and introduced a multimedia version of the work.
At the Shanghai concert, Gong will take the baton and lead the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra for the performance. The programs also includes "The Centennial Symphony," "The Suhe Creek," and world folk songs. Viola player Li Yuan will join the performance.
Symphony No. 10 has been performed at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in 2019.
Performance info
Dates: November 6, 7:30pm
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center
Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
