Performance time：Apr 27,7:30pm

　　Performance place：SHOAC Concet Hall

　　Peng-Peng Gong’s 8thSymphony was commissioned by the SPO back in 2016, but the score was only completed fully as of March 2019 due to the composer’s inundated 2017-18 season. The symphony was composed with a cultural ideal of blending world folk music into a single unity, expressing the composer’s deep passion for the respective cultures heard through the ears of a global traveler. The music adopts an all-embracing rhapsodic style with virtuosic orchestration, and each movement pays a homage to a different people. The composer’s goal was to maximize the expressive possibilities, musical craftsmanship, and auditory enjoyment in a symphony.

　　To accompany the premiere of the symphony, the composer wrote two other pieces for the first half of the concert. The first is an 8-minute orchestral study that explores modern orchestral timbre. All instruments perform a most various combination of intervals, harmonies, counterpoints and orchestration over a single extended pitch. Because this process resembles a painter’s palette work, the piece hence receives its title. The second is a set of six orchestral and verified folk songs from around the world, written to provide both new programming choices for global touring and a joyful, folkish prelude to prepare the listener for the symphony.

　　Programme

　　                                 Conductor :Yi Zhang,

　　                                 The Palette, Op. 57 (2019)

　　                                 Six World Folk Songs,Op. 58 (2019)

　　                                 1. Shanxi (China):“The Harvest”

　　                                 2. Gansu (China):“A Song to the Mountains”

　　                                 3. Singapore:“In Tanjong Katong”

　　                                 4. Thailand:“The Dawn”

　　                                 5. Syria:“Sleep, My Baby, Sleep”

　　                                 6. Lebanon:“The Jubilant Journey”

　　INTERMISSION

　　                                 Symphony No. 8, Op. 53 (2017)

　　                                 I. Largo – Allegro con brio

　　                                 II. Andante

　　                                 III. Allegretto

　　                                 IV. Allegro scherzando

　　                                 V. Waltz

　　                                 VI. Adagio espressivo

　　Peng-Peng Gong

　　Born Nanjing, Jiangsu Provincein 1992. He could repeat rhymeof songs accuratelyat age of 1, distinguish any absolute pitch and chordat 2, learnedpiano at 5, won special award of Jiangsu Provinceat 6, enrolled by Primary School Attached to Shanghai Conservatory of Musicat 8, won gold prize in National Piano Competition at 9, and enrolled by Preparatory Department, Juilliard School of Music, USAin the same year, signed with top brokerin the world, and toured globallyas professionalperformerand performedin first-rate concert halls and orchestras in Europe and USA. Affected deeply by Wenchuan Earthquake, he turned to learn composition at 15, and won Young ComposerPrize awardedby AmericanComposers Societyfor 8 years successively. He has been Resident Composer of Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra after graduating from Juilliard’s Composition Department in 2014, and coagulatedhis passionate national sentiment and the orthodox liberalmusic styleinto several most grandiose symphoniesin symphony historyof China for the Philharmonic and Chinese music circle. Theme and inspiration of most works are derived from reflectionon history of Chinese nations, praisesfor mountains and rivers of homeland, outlook of future of the world, care for teenagers. At age of 25, he composed his ninth symphony "Navigation"(as Opening Performance of 19thChina Shanghai International Arts Festival) and his tenth symphony “Peking Fantasy”(commissioned by Shanghai Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra) for promoting USA-China culture exchange, and has been exploring,disseminating, recording and creating the possibility to fuse Chinese humanistic thinking into the world peacefullywith those outstanding achievements.

　　Zhang Yi

　　Learning to play the violin at the age of five, Zhang Yi was recommended to Central Conservatory of Music in 1990. He learned conducting under the guidance of Prof. Xu Xin and Prof. Ji Ruikai. From 2000 to 2003, he pursued further education in the Saarbrücken Hochschule für Musik Saar, where he finished the graduate course for conducting with Prof. Max Pommer, a renowned German conductor.

　　Director of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

　　Artistic Director or Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra.

　　As an influential conductor in China, Zhang Yi devoted himself in hundreds of concerts, operas and ballets. During the past two decades, he has cooperated with orchestras home and abroad, including China National Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Macau Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Cuba Symphony Orchestra, Kungliga Operan and etc. In his performances around European, American, Australian and Asian countries, Yi Zhang collaborated with numerous artists such as Leonidas Kavakos, Emmanuel Pahud, Wenzel Fuchs, Renaud Capucon, Jean-YvesThibaudet, Myung Wha Chung, Sarah Chang, Lang Lang etc. During his tour in Malaysia, Yi Zhang received great acclaim in local news media, describing him as “a brilliant, incredible charming young conductor”.

　　Yi Zhang conducted many premieres of Chinese and foreign works, such as the world premiere of the ballet Raise the Red Lantern in May 2001, the Chinese premiere of Mass in C Minor by Mozart (2012) and Stabat Mater by Rossini (2014) with Macau Symphony Orchestra. Meanwhile, he also engaged as conductor in some recordings, such as Ye Xiaogang’s New Music from China with Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra (by Wergo, Germany, 2002) and Britain Music with London Philharmonic Orchestra and cellist Qin Liwei (by DEECA, UK, 2013). In May 2012, he was given the Award of Outstanding Contribution at the Beijing Modern Music Festival for his efforts in conducting performanceof numerous westernand Chinese modern music.

　　Yi Zhang performsfrequently in national major events, such as the celebrating performance for Hong Kong’s return in 2007 and opening ceremony of 2008 Olympic Games (including the song You and Me). In November 2015, he led the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra to the Palace of United Nations, where they presented a joint concert on behalf of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, commemorating the 65-year anniversary of Sino-Switzerland diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. In March 2017, Yi Zhang conducted the China NCPA Orchestra in Abu Dhabi Festival successfully.