Harbin's symphony orchestra plays tribute to Songhua River

The Harbin Symphony Orchestra made its debut at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Saturday, conducted by Tang Muhai.

With a performance of the Songhua River Suite, the concert explored the beauty of the Songhua River, which flows through Harbin, the capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province, and which is an important source of resources.

Zang Ting, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Central Conservatory of Music and a faculty member at the Harbin Conservatory of Music, has composed a sweeping portrait of the river through rich orchestration.

Split into seven movements, the piece opened with Beside the Songhua River — Retrospect to the Past Century, in which the intertwining of strings and wind instruments was like the shimmering surface of the Songhua.

The second movement included a performance by pipa player Yu Yuanchun, who used the string instrument's sound and the soft background music to create a tranquil atmosphere that paid tribute to nature and reflected on life.

With erhu (two-stringed vertical fiddle) player Shi Haibin, the soaring intensity of the suona (double-reed horn), and the lively rhythm of the percussion echoing each other, the third movement was infused with a joyful energy in a dynamic and powerful interplay. The fourth movement was a poetic musical journey that delicately painted the beauty of a summer day.

The cheerful melody and vibrant rhythm of the fifth movement captured the joy of fishermen returning home and the vitality of life along the riverbank. The sixth movement centered on an erhu solo, its gentle melody like a thread of longing that spanned the river of time, replete with memories and nostalgia, while also expressing hopes and expectations for the future.

The final movement was filled with immense power and passion, much like the relentless, ever-flowing waters of the river. The children's choir at the end added a touching, ethereal quality, elevating the suite to a stirring conclusion.

"When conceiving the Songhua River Suite, I hoped to use music as a medium to weave together the historical context and diverse ethnic cultures of the river," says Zang. "The seven movements are like seven vibrant paintings, interwoven with different musical forms and ethnic elements, ultimately creating a musical epic that combines both ethnic characteristics and symphonic tension."

The piece has been included in the 2024-2025 Symphony of the Times Support Program by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The concert at the NCPA was part of the China Orchestra Festival, which was founded by the NCPA in 2008. Held once every two years, the festival brings together 21 professional symphony orchestras from across China with 26 concerts being performed this year.