Standing ovations, enthusiastic applause and praise from audiences and music professionals marked the European tour of the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, a young ensemble making its mark on the international classical music scene.
From Aug 18 to 27, the three-year-old orchestra traveled through Slovenia, Austria and Italy, giving five concerts at four major international festivals, including the Ljubljana Festival, Brahms Festival, Emilia Romagna Festival and Tuscania Summer Festival.
Under the baton of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Lin Daye — winner of the 6th Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition in 2012 — the orchestra, whose musicians average just 28 years old, performed a program blending Western symphonic classics with works inspired by China's cultural heritage.
A highlight of the tour was Flying Apsaras, an original symphonic suite by the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra inspired by the Dunhuang murals. Blending traditional Chinese musical elements with the Western symphonic form, the work offered European audiences a contemporary take on imagery from ancient China.
The response was striking. At the Brahms Festival, one audience member said the music made the figures in the Dunhuang murals seem to come alive. At the Tuscania Summer Festival, an Italian listener singled out the entrance of the suona, saying its sound was filled with extraordinary power.
The orchestra also brought Chinese music into the streets. Pop-up performances in Ljubljana and Imola featured familiar Jiangnan melodies, including The Beauty of Taihu Lake and Scenery of Wuxi.
