HUTB Holds the Premiere of the Symphonic Oratorio Dong Chorus “Wind and Rain Bridge”
2022-06-11 17:33:43
On the evening of June 10, the symphonic oratorio Dong chorus “Wind and Rain Bridge”, co-organized by the School of Music, HUTB and Changsha Symphony Orchestra, debuted in Natural Concert Hall of the Innovation Center, Lingnan Campus. Chen Xiaohong, CAE Academician and HUTB Party Secretary, Xiao Xiaoqin, HUTB Vice Party Secretary, and Zhang Ling, HUTB Vice President joined the teachers and students in watching the art feast. Hu Jun, Vice Party Secretary and General Manager of Hunan Performing Arts Group, Chen Zhiqiang, Party Secretary and CEO of Better Life Group, and Tan Zhiqi, General Manager of the Water Conservancy Department of HNAC Technology Co., Ltd. watched the performance upon invitation.
The Dong chorus is acclaimed as “music of crystal-clear spring and melody of ancient dreams”. It is famous for exquisite structure and profound lyrics. The Dong chorus is one of the national intangible cultural heritages of China and one of the intangible cultural heritages of humanity. Xiao Ming, Dean of the School of Music, HUTB and music director and chief conductor of Changsha Symphony Orchestra, acted as the music director and conductor of the symphonic oratorio. Qu Qiong (the lyricist of “I Love You China”), a famous Chinese songwriter, acted as the screenwriter and lyricist. Zhou Hong, a renowned composer, composed music for the concert. Young artists, including Li Cheng, Qiu Taowu, Zhang Xiaojiao, Gao Ming, Zhou Hao and Li Zhijia, participated in the performance. The orchestra, Changfeng Chorus and student dancers of the School of Music, HUTB participated in the instrumental and singing performance from start to end.
The symphonic oratorio Dong chorus “Wind and Rain Bridge” is based on a legendary story of the Dong Nationality, which recounts how Flower Dragon the Guardian God helps a couple of Dong lovers defeat the evil Crab Goblin. The Han Nationality passes on their tradition through written books, while the Dong Nationality passes on their tradition through wordless songs. The Dong chorus conveys feelings through songs, and converts them into a national epic. The performance was composed of four movements under six parts. “Dong Area” displayed the customs of the Dong Minority Nationality, and conveyed the fluttering hearts of a young couple meeting each other for the first time. “Qingjiang River” prepared the ground for the emergence of the wicked Crab Goblin. “Singing Contest” presented the traditional customs of Dong men and women establishing friendship through songs and conveying love through sound. “Wind and Rain Bridge” showcased the scene of Dong people singing and dancing to celebrate the Flower Dragon’s feat of rescuing the lovers and defeating the evil Crab Goblin. These movements establish the whole process in which Niang Mei and Zhu Lang meet each other, know each other, fall into love with each other, and stay together. In the process, the couple receives blessings from Dong boys and girls, experience the obstruction of the notorious Crab Goblin, and defend the Dong area with the helping hand of Flower Dragon the source of Qingjiang River. “Wind and Rain Bridge” conveyed young men and women’s praise for pure love, and extolled the Dong people’s sincere and simple yearning for a beautiful life.
After the conclusion of the performance, Chen Xiaohong, CAE Academician and HUTB Party Secretary, extended greetings to all performers, spoke highly of the symphonic oratorio, and encouraged all participants to create high-level artistic achievements for “Artistic HUTB”.
“Wind and Rain Bridge” is performed in the form of symphonic oratorio, which is a distinctive type of polyphonic folk song. The event utilized multiple techniques such as stage art, lighting and modeling, dancing performance and multimedia teleprompter. The combination of graceful female voice and resound male voice delivered a magnificent audio-visual feast to the audience, and left a lingering melody in the campus on the summer evening.
The symphonic oratorio Dong chorus “Wind and Rain Bridge” is sponsored by the Hunan special fund for cultural development. It is not only the first original musical performance delivered by the School of Music since its establishment, but also an important achievement of the “Artistic HUTB” campus cultural brand construction. The performance is conducive to further carrying forward the excellent traditional music culture of China, enriching the cultural life of teachers and students, and boosting the social influence, popularity and reputation of HUTB. (Written by Tu Hua and photo by Zhang Gaoyang)
