In the spring of 1942, the Exiled Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky died in the desert.
In the eyes of the music critic Lebrecht, Zemlingski is undoubtedly unfortunate. During his lifetime, his position was overshadowed by his contemporaries Mahler and Schoenberg. After his death, his talent was not recognized as it should be. Last year marked the 150th anniversary of Zemlinsky's birth and this year marks the 80th anniversary of his death, but few commemorations have been held around the world because of covid-19.
Zemlinsky string quartet recorded by the LaSalle Quartet
On the evening of February 26, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will perform his "The Little Mermaid", the premiere of the work in Chinese mainland. "The Little Mermaid" is Zemlinsky's most popular work, and behind it is Zemlinsky's frustrated love affair.
In recent years, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has been committed to inviting musicians who "should come and go" to bring "should hear but not listen" to expand the horizons of music fans. The staging of "The Little Mermaid" may give us the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the forgotten Zemlinsky.
The concert will also feature Mahler's "Sacrifice of death" and Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme", the latter of which is soloed by Zhu Lin, principal cellist of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
A sad fairy tale
The birth of The Little Mermaid is related to Alma Schindler, "the most beautiful woman in Vienna." Zemlingski fell in love with her, but she not only married Mahler, but also relegated Zemlingski to "the ugliest man in Vienna."
The devastated Zemlinsky used the sad fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" to commemorate his feelings that had nowhere to rest. The work was born in 1903 and has been successfully performed in Vienna, Prague and Berlin.
"The Little Mermaid" is about 40 minutes long, with gorgeous instrumentation, with late romantic characteristics, both story and picture sense. "As long as we follow the solo violin symbolizing the mermaid in the underwater world of music constructed by the band, all the colorful lights and shadows and the waves will naturally appear in front of us." Music critic Kou Yi said.
Even though he was less popular both before and after his death, Lebrecht described Zemlingski as "a kaleidoscope, cross-cultural, a mixture of multiple civilizations, voices from elsewhere" He believed that the era that belonged to Zemlingsky would eventually come.
On the evening of February 26, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra premiered "The Little Mermaid" by Chinese conductor Hong Yiquan. You may not have heard of Hong Yiquan's name, but he is already the leader of the new generation of conductors in the world today. Born in Singapore, he studied in Vienna, St. Petersburg and other places, and was the first conducting student in the history of Yale University in the United States to receive a full scholarship.
Chinese conductor Hong Yiquan
In 2007, at the 50th Besançon International Young Conductor Competition in France, he won three awards: the Gold Medal, the Audience Selection Award and the Orchestra Selection Award. This triumph brought him the position of Music Director of the French Brittany Symphony Orchestra.
He has frequently appeared as guest conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg to conduct concerts and operas, and has also conducted world-renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan. Since December 2016, he has been artistic director and principal conductor of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra.
Hong Yiquan said: "'The Little Mermaid' is rarely performed in the world, and one of the important reasons is that Zemlingski writes music very hard, testing both the skills of the players and the balance of the band. I was pleasantly surprised by the shanghai symphony orchestra's performance standards and professionalism, and I believe that the audience in Shanghai will enjoy this work. ”
Pass what's behind the note
Hong Yiquan, who grew up in Singapore, patiently recounted the story of "The Little Mermaid" in front of reporters, all the way to how the Little Mermaid "became a bubble at sea". Zemlinsky wrote this work to let the world know his story. I think it's not just his story, it's the story of all mankind. In his opinion, to direct a work well, it is necessary to understand the story and emotion behind each note and pass them on to the audience.
Hong Yiquan began to learn piano and violin at the age of 4, but he gave up halfway through without practicing the piano. At the age of 12, he fell in love with a girl and learned percussion with the girl's brother. When he was 14 years old, he had a dream in which a voice told him to become a conductor, and since then he has firmly embarked on the road of music and grown all the way to "learning".
Hong Yiquan is fluent in English, German, French, Italian, Russian and Chinese. Asked about the know-how to learn languages, he said the most important thing is to "not be afraid of making mistakes." "When I talk to people in different languages, I use each other's language immediately. If you're afraid of making mistakes, you'll never be able to open your mouth. Another trick is that when learning a new language, never translate in your head, but understand the language itself directly. ”
In Hong Yiquan's view, the most important way to learn music and language is to "communicate". A good conductor must be a good communicator and leader. "Because you're not going to teach a musician how to play the piano, you need to convey your ideas precisely while understanding the musicians. Therefore, it is also necessary to learn a little psychology. ”
In June this year, the San Francisco Opera House will rearrange Chinese composer Sheng Zongliang's opera "Dream of the Red Chamber" and invite Hong Yiquan to conduct the baton. Hong Yiquan said: "'Dream of the Red Chamber' is not only an opera, it is a combination of lyrical, literary and critical works of art, but also a free and imaginative stage work. It is hoped that more Western audiences will explore Chinese culture through this work. ”
Hong Yiquan conducted rehearsals for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra