SZSO to perform 1st concert in 2025

Under the direction of its principal guest conductor, TanDun, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will present Tan’s choral concerto“Nine” alongside Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125.”

A poster for the Jan. 10 concert. Photos courtesy of SZSO

Tan Dun

The soloists for this performance will include soprano Zhou Ni, mezzo-soprano Wang Hongyao, tenor Zhang Xiqiu, and baritone Yang Yang.

Zhou, a lecturer at the School of Music at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, completed her studies at the Central Conservatory of Music before earning the highest diploma in opera performance from the Royal Danish Academy of Music. 

Wang, an acclaimed mezzo-soprano, is anassociate professor at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music and performs as anopera singer with the National Center for the Performing Arts.

Wang Hongyao

Zhang, a professor of opera performance at the TianjinConservatory of Music, has garnered multiple international awards, includingthe first prize in the 1st Angelo Loforese International Vocal Competition inMilan, Italy. 

Yang, a faculty member at Shenzhen University, obtained amaster’s degree from the Bard Conservatory of Music in New York under thetutelage of Edith Bers. In 2008, he clinched the first place in the baritonecategory at the Aspen Opera Festival Vocal Competition in the United States.

Originally commissioned by the U.K.’s Royal Philharmonic Society and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 2020, Tan’s “Nine” faced delays due to the pandemic. Tan reconsidered his composition, expanding it into three movements: “Nine,” “Wine,” and “Time” (“Ode to Peace”), incorporating Chinese texts alongside Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.” These Chinese texts are sourced from renowned poets such as Qu Yuan and Li Bai.

During the latter half of the concert, the audience will experience Beethoven’s ninth symphony, widely acclaimed as the composer’s magnum opus. Comprising four movements, this symphony is celebrated not only for its grand scale but notably for its final movement, which incorporates a full chorus and vocal soloists performing a rendition of Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy.” Serving as Beethoven’s final complete symphony, this work stands as a significant stylistic bridge between the Classical and Romantic periods of Western music. It premiered in Vienna in 1824 to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception.

This concert promises to transport listeners on a time-traveling journey, engaging them in a dialogue between music masters and prompting them to reflect upon life’s joys and sorrows.

Time: 8 p.m., Jan. 10

Tickets: 50-880 yuan

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D