Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 17 May 2017

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“This was musical small talk: polite pleasantries and no substance”

Reviewed at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 16 May 2017

Britten, Peter Grimes, Op.33a: Four Sea Interludes

Ye Xiaogang, Guangdong Music Suite, Op.51 (GSO Commission, 2005)

Zhao, Duo (For cello, sheng and orchestra)

Stravinsky, The Firebird: Suite (1919 version)

Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra

Jian Wang, Cello

Lei Jia, Sheng

Long Yu, Conductor

Tan Dun conducts the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in Zurich

Sarah Batschelet, 26th January

Chinese composer/conductor Tan Dun presented colourful works both he and another compatriot had composed together with pieces by Stravinsky.

****1

Hong Kong Phil revels in Schoenberg’s beefed-up Brahms

Christopher Halls, 17th October

Led by celebrated Chinese conductor Long Yu, the Hong Kong Philharmonic shines in Schönberg’s bold Brahms “makeover” and features two of their own as soloists in a finely contoured performance of the Double Concerto

****1

Prom 57: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra makes its Proms debut

Rohan Shotton, 1st September

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra bring an entertaining programme of Mozart and Rachmaninov to the Proms, followed by an unexpected “Gift from China to the UK”.

****1

A trio of Slavic works in Hong Kong

Alan Yu, 21st June

The Hong Kong Phil and Long Yu crossing the cultural divide in a trio of Slavic works.

****1

Weaving tales: Long Yu conducts Scheherazade in Hong Kong

Dr. Anton D. Luiten, 15th December

A globally-connected journey of exoticism: Yu Long delivers with Scheherazade.

****1

Pacy Tchaikovsky from Long Yu and the Philharmonia

Mark Thomas, 29th November

Long Yu certainly didn’t rest on his laurels as he powered through Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, while Jian Wang introduced subtlety and deftness in the Rococo Variations.

***11

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Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings is a composer, writer and researcher based in the Cotswolds. He composes instrumental and electronic music, exploring aspects of algorithmic composition, and has recently completed a Ph.D. in composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Richard Causton and Howard Skempton. His musical tastes are ludicrously broad but are focused most on contemporary/avant-garde classical and electronic music. When not composing, he writes regularly about new music; Simon is the author of the contemporary music blog 5:4 (5against4.com), and regularly contributes articles for a variety of books, journals and websites. Follow him on Twitter @5against4.

Skin-deep and saccharine: a one-dimensional performance from Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall