The large-scale Chinese traditional orchestral music "Great Jiangnan" was the first performance at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Zijin Culture & Art Festival. It consists of five movements with strong characteristics of the Jiangnan region: "Moon Reflected in Water", "When the Monsoon Rain Stops", "Hometown by Water Flowers", "Blooming in the Flourishing Age", and "Reminiscence of Jiangnan". It is combined with the unique characteristics of Chinese traditional orchestral music while incorporating various elements such as Jiangsu local traditional music, Kunqu Opera, and storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect. It strengthens the contrast of styles, gives the whole concert greater tension, enhances the artistic appeal and highlights the national characteristics of the work.
The concert was performed by the Chinese Traditional Orchestra of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group. The orchestra is a provincial-level professional Chinese folk music performing group with a history of more than 60 years. The work has reflected the ability of this orchestra in the Jiangnan region to grasp the soft and delicate emotional style and perform various types of music. In addition, Tang Muhai, an internationally renowned Chinese conductor, was invited to conduct the concert. Deng Jiandong, a famous Chinese erhu performer and national first-class performer, and Shi Xiaming, a Kunqu Opera performing artist and national first-class performer, also presented wonderful performances.
The "Great Jiangnan" suite was created by Ms. Wang Danhong, a renowned Chinese composer, in 2019. Now she has re-arranged and re-written the symphony to make it a piece of Chinese traditional orchestral music. More importantly, the connotation of the work has also been explored on a new level. It was tailor-made for the sounds and acoustics quality of the Chinese traditional orchestral music, and the music itself also expresses the Jiangnan culture on a spiritual level. It shows that the profound legacy in the cultural vein of our nation has a subtle influence on music.
