British orchestra performs China Story concerts

Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang. [Photo/VCG]

LONDON - Renowned Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang joined hands with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to present in Scotland cities on Friday and Saturday two concerts titled China Story: the Songs of the Earth.

Featuring China's rich cultural tradition and vibrant modern life, the concert was first staged in the Usher Hall at Scottish capital Edinburgh on Friday night.

It was conducted by Gilbert Varga, performing three of Ye's symphonic soundscapes, including Mountain E'mei for violin and percussion, Scent of Green Mango for piano and orchestra, as well as the Song of Sorrow and Gratification for bass-baritone.

According to Ye, who is also chairman of Chinese Musicians Association, these musical works were composed recently to describe the glorious history of Chinese culture over the past century and to celebrate the great success of contemporary China.

Chinese famous bass-baritone singer Shen Yang, the violinist Lu Wei, the percussionist Hu Shengnan, as well as the pianist Wan Jieni have also joined the show.

The concert, organized by Beijing Performance & Arts Group and sponsored by Beijing Culture and Arts Fund, also won loud applauds at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday night.

Taking the basic form of the Western symphony, Ye's music contains many typical Chinese musical factors trying to spread the mainstream culture of modern China.

Since its premiere in New York in 2013, the China Story concerts have been presented successfully in cites of Britain, Germany, India and Costa Rica. It's scheduled to stage in Berlin on Oct 10.