BEIJING, Dec. 9 -- Traditional Chinese opera music and contemporary Western composition techniques will come together in composer Wang Xilin's "Concerto for Violin & Orchestra," which will be performed by Swiss violinist Egidius Streiff and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra at the concert to mark the 50th anniversary of Wang's composing career on Sunday at the Forbidden City Concert Hall of Beijing.

    In his letter to Wang after receiving the score, Streiff wrote, "Without exaggeration I believe your 'Concerto for Violin and Orchestra' to be a worthy successor to the greatest violin concertos. I am truly honoured to be able to perform it."

    The idioms of the concerto are based on the music of Shandang Bangzi, Puju and Qinqiang, three schools of local opera in Shandong Province and North China's Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces. Wang used to live in Shanxi for many years and is very familiar with the local operas.

    "My mother tongue in music is traditional Chinese opera, created by the Chinese people," said Wang. "At the same time, I also adopt Western composition techniques to express my feelings and thoughts."

    Conducted by Tan Lihua, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra will also perform two of Wang's symphonies at the concert: "Symphony No 5 for 22 Strings dedicated to Lu Xun to commemorate the 120th anniversary of his birth" and "Symphony No 4 dedicated to the history of China and humankind in the past century and the new millennium."

    Born in 1936, Wang enrolled at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1957. He was sent away to Shanxi Province in 1964 to be "reformed" for openly criticizing the cultural policy of the Party. Only in 1978 after the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) ended, was he brought back to Beijing.

    Wang won the first prize in the National Music Composition three times. A significant number of his pieces, particularly those composed after the mid-1980s, are inspired by folk or literary myths and epics highlighting Chinese suffering and humiliations in the past.

    "Wang's symphony works, which embody his life experiences, aesthetic thoughts and social responsibilities, are full of vitality and Chinese character," said Tan. "His contribution to Chinese symphony music deserves our respect."

    After the concert, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra plans to record all of Wang's symphony works onto six or seven CDs. The complete scores of Wang's works will also be released by the Beijing Culture and Art Audio and Video Publishing House.

    (Source: China Daily)