Centenary compositions

According to Zhou Ping, besides the three works premiered at the NCPA, composer Jia Daqun, 65, also completed a new concerto for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, titled A Heart Pursuing the Waves, which is part of the commissioned works marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. Due to the limitation of the duration of the concert, the new piece will be premiered in Shanghai in late April.

"It's the first time for us to commission four Chinese composers to write musical works with the same theme. The four Chinese composers, though with different ages and different backgrounds, expressed their own feelings and respect for the country and the people," says Zhou.

From April 29 to May 6, the four composers' musical works, along with classic Chinese music works, such as Ode to the Red Flag, will be staged nationwide with a tour going to Chinese cities, such as Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Changsha, Hunan province and Wuhan, Hubei province. After the tour, the four new music works will be performed in Shanghai by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in June for two weeks.

As the oldest symphony orchestra in China, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, with a history dating back to 1879, has premiered some of the most famous Chinese music pieces, such as composer Lyu Qiming's Ode to the Red Flag, which was performed by the orchestra in 1965 in Shanghai.

Zhou says besides concerts, audiences will also become a part of the tour by leaving their messages on installations designed for the concerts, which review and tell stories about classic Chinese music works since 1949.