The Suzhou Chinese Orchestra, led by chief conductor and artistic director Pang Kapang, will premiere the new symphonic suite "Jiangnan" for Shanghai's audience.The suite is a commissioned work by composer Xu Changjun and consists of five movements named after Jiangnan's landscapes and natural resources. Jiangnan refers to regions in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The composition involves traditional art forms such as Kunqu Opera and Pingtan (storytelling and singing), as well as traditional instruments like guqin (a plucked seven-string Chinese instrument) and bianzhong (a set of bronze bells).

The five movements are Capriccio of the Tiger Hill, Maple Trees by the River Under a Crescent Moon at Dawn, The Canals of Jiangnan, Seven-mile Shantang, and The Splendid Tiger Hill Pagoda.

In each movement, different instruments and musical structures are used to showcase the artistic conceptions represented by natural landscapes and cultural scenes. The composer emphasized the drumming part that ends the suite on a warm and cheerful note.

The performance is part of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

(Source: SHINE  By: Ma Yue  Editor: Wang Yanlin)