Concert celebrates music from revolution to modern times

The book launch and concert for Echoes of Mountains and Rivers: Red Classics Choral Music was held on Sunday at the opera hall of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

This event marked the debut of the new book, featuring a choral performance of classic revolutionary songs, which are significant in Chinese culture.

Under the baton of conductor Chen Bing, the Central Conservatory of Music choir performed 14 songs, which spanned the turbulent years of the wartime to the vibrant new era.

The songs include Sing a Folk Song to the Party, which was first released in 1963 and written by Zhu Jian'er and Jiao Ping; The Boatman's Song, one of the most iconic pieces in the Yellow River Cantata, which was composed in 1939 by Xian Xinghai and Guang Weiran; and Embroidering the Red Flag, an aria from the Chinese opera Jiang Jie, which, written by songwriters Yan Su and Yang Ming in 1964, was based on story of the female martyr, Jiang Zhuyun (also known as Jiang Jie).

The event marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.