On the evening of April 20 and 26, 2023, the Western orchestra and ethnic orchestra special sessions of "Silk Road Echo - "Dunhuang" Theme Works Concert" hosted by the China Conservatory of Music and hosted by the China Conservatory of Music and hosted by the China Conservatory of Music was held in the Beijing Concert Hall one after another. The 14 works carry out musical exploration of the cultural theme of "Dunhuang" from a unique perspective and distinctive style. In the form of symphony and national orchestra, they vividly present the intersection of thousands of years of civilization and contemporary creation, and paint a magnificent and profound "Music Dunhuang" picture.

From the cave between the origin walls

In order to deeply understand Dunhuang culture, the creative team of the China Conservatory of Music has started a series of preliminary visits and exchanges in the creation since August 2022, and "learned" the story from relevant scholars and experts. A "'Dunhuang' Theme Works" creation exchange seminar was held in Beijing in a combination of online and offline methods. The meeting gathered many experts and scholars in the Dunhuang research field to focus on the art of Mogao Grottoes through the method of "viewing pictures, listening to sounds, and experiencing", and deeply interpreted the context of the intersection of Silk Road music and culture.

Zhao Shengliang, former president of Dunhuang Research Institute, Zhang Yuanlin, vice president of Dunhuang Research Institute, Li Song, distinguished professor of Boya at the School of Art of Peking University, and Zhu Xiaofeng, a researcher at the Dunhuang Research Institute, gave four wonderful lectures, covering Dunhuang art and Tang Dynasty culture, multicultural exchanges between Dunhuang and the Silk Road, Dunhuang sculpture, painting, calligraphy, music and dance, etc.

During the exchange and discussion, Liu Liming, director of the Planning Department of the National Arts Fund Management Center, gave suggestions on the later dissemination and development of the Dunhuang concert. Fan Zuyin, a professor at the China Conservatory of Music, suggested that the spirit of the Chinese nation should be reflected in the intersection of China and the West, and creators were advised to pay special attention to the images of musical instruments in Dunhuang murals, so that the audience could better accept music with a well-founded imagination.

Huang Hu, vice president of the China Conservatory of Music, led a group of teachers from the composition department to visit the Palace Museum. He held a discussion with Wang Xudong, former president of the Dunhuang Institute and current president of the Palace Museum in Jingyixuan reception room. Wang Xudong said that in addition to its "heavy" characteristics, Dunhuang culture also has "smart" characteristics; composers should go deep into Dunhuang for a period of time to conduct on-site field searches and experience the charm of Dunhuang culture personally; use music to express the inclusiveness of Dunhuang culture and reflect the "great gift of the country."

Combination and mutual learning are made for the Silk Road

During the creation process, the team members always adhere to the creative orientation of "people-centeredness" and take "telling good Chinese stories" as the starting point to deeply explore the humanistic connotations of Dunhuang culture and Chinese history. Finally, the Silk Road Echoes - 14 works in the "Dunhuang" theme series were born.

This series of works runs through the theme of the Silk Road, covering multiple levels of human geography such as border poems in the Western Regions, murals of Mogao Grottoes, desert scenery, temple landscapes, etc. As the cultural center of the Silk Road, Dunhuang is where the cultures of many ethnic groups and regions gather. Therefore, the composer selected multiple perspectives from different regions and cultures, adopted the musical styles of multiple ethnic groups, and strived to fully demonstrate the integration characteristics and mutual learning spirit of Dunhuang culture.

The works have a variety of genres, involving various genres such as orchestral music, concertos, soprano and orchestra. The composer uses different carriers to shape personal styles and innovate symphonic languages, explores the collision and integration of traditional music elements with Western regional characteristics and Western composition techniques, transforms the integration of diverse cultures into symphonic vocabulary with distinct personalities, and conveys the composer's understanding and interpretation of Dunhuang culture and the spirit of the Silk Road.

"Silk Road Echo" concert scene

Echoes not only from the capital to the four directions

The concert received positive response from the industry after its premiere in Beijing. On July 19, 2023, "The Silk Road Echo" was invited to hold a special Western orchestra performance in Lanzhou. That night, the Lanzhou audience gave back the composer and performer's dedication with great enthusiasm and concentration, and still refused to leave after the performance. With its unique geographical and cultural advantages and rigorous attitude of striving for excellence, the Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra perfectly interprets 7 "Dunhuang"-themed Western orchestra, and together with the composer, brought the audience a feast of Dunhuang music culture.

"The Silk Road Echo" Lanzhou Special Concert

As the first concert of the China Conservatory of Music to cooperate with a new work with a first-class local symphony orchestra, the Lanzhou special concert, on the one hand, cultivates local culture with the artistic expression of music, injects new vitality into Lanzhou's local culture, and promotes exchanges and cooperation between Lanzhou and the world's culture; on the other hand, inherits intangible cultural heritage, fully explores and absorbs the elements of Silk Road music, and cleverly integrates into modern music creation, so that traditional culture can be rejuvenated.

After the performance, 11 teachers from the creative team conducted field trips in many places in Gansu to accumulate more materials to further improve the works. With a yearning for the splendid culture of the Silk Road, the team traveled west from Lanzhou along the Silk Road, and arrived in Dunhuang via Zhangye. They learned and observed intangible cultural heritage art performances such as Huaer, Liangzhou Xianxiao, Lanzhou Guzi, Hexi Baojuan and Kazakh folk songs, visited the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and had a affectionate dialogue with the Silk Road, promoting the creation from "inspiration-practice-dissemination" to "re-research-re-creation".

Start again to play the Silk Road in the Future

Dunhuang is not the end, but a cultural entrance that constantly inspires and re-understands the relationship between tradition and the present, the East and the world, and the self and history. The China Conservatory of Music takes the school-running philosophy of "inheriting national studies, promoting national rhyme, cultivating national instruments, and strengthening national music", adheres to the mission of inheriting and promoting the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and actively builds the "Chinese music school". "The Silk Road Echo" is a concentrated reflection of the "original + practice" teaching model of the Composer Department of the China Conservatory of Music. It not only demonstrates the artistic potential of the young composers group, but also responds to the call of the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture in the new era.

In the future, the China Conservatory of Music will continue to expand the communication path and research breadth of the "Silk Road Echo" project, and promote these original works that are nurtured in teaching and research and grow on the stage to truly enter the public's vision and move towards a broader world stage.

[Editor in charge: Yue Xiangzhi]