On October 23rd, the annual Changning International Grassland Piano Music Festival kicked off. This year's music festival is held in Zhongshan Park, a city landmark in Shanghai. As one of the iconic highlights of the 2021 "Hongqiao Autumn" Cultural Tourism and Shopping Festival, the festival takes the theme of "City Board • Autumn Ensemble" and starts from the iconic statue of Chopin in Zhongshan Park, spreading the natural sound of classical music and showing the life scene of "breathing" classical music on the lawn.
This year marks the 210th anniversary of the birth of The Romantic piano king Liszt, and his friendship with Chopin and his introduction to the world chopin's story are a good story in the history of classical music. To this end, the first offline performance of this year's music festival will be titled "Romantic Echoes", and a special concert around the works of the two classical music giants will be held, attracting public tourists and professional audiences to feel the charm of the integration of elegant art and nature.
In the afternoon, in the golden cinnamon-scented Zhongshan Park Music Square, young Polish pianist Alex Franzsko Konitz opened and played Chopin's "Mazurka", leading the audience to immediately enter the music world of Liszt and Chopin. Subsequently, under the guidance of Wang Yong, dean of the School of Music of Shanghai University, Liu Nianji, a national first-class composer, and Yang Dongjin, a student, improvised and performed classic pieces in the form of a double piano. Tang Beihua, a piano professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and students Qin Yunyi and Xi Yingying performed the classic works of Liszt and Chopin on the spot, showing the superb skills of the former and the deep poetry of the latter.
"As early as 100 years ago, when Zhongshan Park was still called 'Zhaofeng Park', it introduced the form of European open-air concerts, bringing the earliest connection between Shanghai and the world classical music scene. These concerts also became the enlightenment of Shanghai classical music and nourished the strong atmosphere of classical music today. Tian Yimiao, a well-known music critic and composer, brought a unique "Sunset Talk Concert", focusing on topics such as "Classical Music and Shanghai", "Listening to Chopin Under the Statue of Chopin", "Chopin's Dance Music", "Chopin's Elastic Decorative Sound", "Chopin's Poetry and Chinese Aesthetics", etc., leading the audience to taste a "classical afternoon tea".
The festival is guided by the People's Government of Changning District of Shanghai and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Shanghai, sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Changning District Party Committee, the District Culture and Tourism Bureau, the District Foreign Affairs Office, the District Federation of Literature and Art, and hosted by the Shanghai Changning New Hongqiao Culture and Art Exchange Center and the Changning District Musicians Association. The performances are simultaneously broadcast live on platforms such as "Culture Cloud", and classical music feasts are shared online and offline.
The reporter learned from the Changning District Cultural and Tourism Bureau that in addition to Chopin and Liszt, this year's music festival will also present special performances of masters such as Saint-Saëns and Mozart, and a number of Polish musicians will also bring special concerts to accompany Shanghai citizens and tourists to spend their leisure time in the afternoon of the weekend. The festival will also present more aspects of classical music through the cross-border integration of classical and jazz, classical and classical film music. In Zhongshan Park, the "Versailles Classical Market" will be held simultaneously, bringing cultural and creative peripherals and retro collections. Shanghai Changning Culture and Arts Center will also hold a "Portrait of a Piano Poet" Frederick Chopin Information Photo Exhibition, inviting the audience to enter classical music from a more diverse perspective and get a richer viewing experience.
This year, the Shanghai Changning International Grassland Piano Music Festival has entered its third year. "Listening to Chopin in Zhongshan Park" has been integrated into Shanghai's urban life and has become a new way for citizens to enjoy classical music. In the corner encounter with elegant art, continue the classic and romantic characteristics and temperament of the urban area, and subtly enhance the soft power of the city.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Tang Ye Text Editor: Shu Shu Title Map Source: Changning District Cultural and Tourism Bureau
Source: Author: Shu Shu