Yan Huichang Pays Lifelong Tribute to Shaanxi Hometown

Yan Huichang, one of the most prominent figures in Chinese orchestral music, conducted the world premiere of his Xianqiang Rhapsody at Xi’an Concert Hall Tuesday evening, with the Shaanxi Broadcasting National Traditional Orchestra and a one-man-band featuring 25-year-old Xianqiang virtuoso Wang Kun performing under the composer’s baton.The programme and the Orchestra’s commission is funded by the China National Arts Fund (CNAF).The work is a five-movement full-length suite drawing on Xianqiang, the string puppet theatre tradition native to Heyang county of Shaanxi province, incorporating its characteristic percussion and string idioms. Xianqiang takes its name from the form itself: xian meaning string, qiang the incidental music that accompanies the theatre.The premiere carries personal weight for Yan, who was born in Heyang county of Shaanxi, a region long associated with some of China’s most distinctive theatre genres and folk traditions. Contributing a major orchestral work to his hometown has been a longstanding ambition, and the result — built around a tradition he grew up with — represents the fulfilment of that goal.Yan Huichang is best known internationally as longtime artistic director and chief conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, a post he has held since 1997 and through which he has been among the most consistent advocates for Chinese orchestral music on the world stage.A seminar was held the following morning participated by leading scholars and composers weighing in on the suite, an internal review and evaluation protocol. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klassikom.substack.com