Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of early Romanticism, and many of his works are popular among the Chinese people. To commemorate his 210th birthday, NCPA Orchestra will perform some of his masterpieces in the 2019/20 season, including his second and fifth symphonies, violin concertos, and the Midsummer Night's Dream Overture.

What kind of composer is Mendelssohn? Schumann had apropos comments on him. He named Mendelsohn "the Mozart of the 19th century" and "one of the most brilliant musicians who clearly understood the contradictions of the times and the first to reconcile these contradictions." The "contradiction" refers to the disagreement between the classical formality and the romantic passion. Such a contradiction was found in many works of Romantic-era composers, but was especially prominent in Mendelssohn's. To him, Bach and Mozart were the most important masters from the Classical era. Like Mozart, he was a music prodigy who died young (Mozart died at 35 and Mendelsohn 38). Mendelssohn's music often bears the elegance and structural perfection as Mozart's.

Mendelssohn was born on February 3, 1809 in a wealthy Jewish family in Germany. His grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, was a famous philosopher in the German Enlightenment era, who advocated religious tolerance and the integration of the Jewish into the mainstream German culture. Mendelssohn's father later converted to Protestantism and became a banker. Mendelssohn was the second child out of the four children in the family. Mendelssohn's mother was responsible for the early music education of Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny (who was also a talented musician). Mendelssohn studied piano, violin and organ. He and his sister joined the choir conducted by the German composer Zelter, a music consultant for the great writer Goethe and a close friend of the Mendelssohn family. He taught Mendelssohn music composition and introduced him to Goethe. He adopted the teaching materials developed by Kirnberg, a student of Bach who was determined to spread Bach's teaching method, and helped Mendelssohn tremendously in composition. At the age of 17, Mendelssohn wrote the famous A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, inspired by Shakespeare's play (NCPA Orchestra will play this masterpiece on July 20 and 21 this year). In addition to music, his father hired a private tutor to teach him classical literature, history, geography, mathematics, and French, making him have mastery of classical culture.

Mendelssohn lived in an era when Germany was not yet unified. After the Napoleonic Wars, European powers re-divided their regimes at the Vienna Conference. The German Confederation also began to promote a conservative culture during the Restoration period (restoring the old order before the French Revolution). Mendelssohn formed his own musical style in such a social environment. There were four major accomplishments in his short life span. The first accomplishment is that his attention to the early music in history prompted him to perform Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829 (at the age of 20). Mendelssohn diligently studied Bach's sheet music, rehearsed, and finally accomplished what even his teacher, Zelter, had thought impossible. The second accomplishment is that he embarked on a Grand Tour, traveling to the UK, Italy and France, for fun and for educational enrichment since he was 20 years old. His ten trips to the UK had a tremendous influence on the British music. The third accomplishment was done in Leipzig, his most important working place where he spent most of his time. From the age of 26 until his death, he worked in Leipzig, directing Gewandhaus Orchestra (also known as the "Gewandhausorchester Leipzig". He directed about 20 concerts each year (from October to March) on top of the concerts with celebrated visiting musicians, for charity purposes and chamber concerts. Mendelssohn tirelessly led the orchestra, one of the top European ensembles at present. The programs he put together showed his preference for the works by Beethoven and Mozart, featured some famous operas in concert version, performances that combined vocal and instrumental music, as well as classical and contemporary works. The fourth accomplishment is also related to Leipzig. In 1843, he participated in discussing the founding of the Leipzig Conservatory. According to the Conservatory's announcement, it would offer courses in composition, violin, piano, organ, vocal music, chamber music, chorus and music history. Students from Germany and abroad were required to participate in the rehearsals and concerts with Gewandhaus Orchestra and other local music organizations. The faculty included Mendelssohn himself and Schumann. On April 3, 1843, the school was founded and enrolled 22 students. It is the oldest music school in Germany and has produced numerous outstanding musicians, including the Father of Norwegian music Grieg and China's famous composer XIAO Youmei.

Mendelssohn was very talented. Besides composing, he was also a pianist, violinist and conductor. He loved painting, producing countless watercolors, landscape paintings and sketches in his life. Since music and fine art are closely related, many of Mendelssohn's musical works are regarded as "music of landscape painting".

In May 1847, on the way back home after the busy performance in the UK, he learned about the unexpected death of his sister Fanny. Upon his return to Berlin, he was so grief-stricken over her death that he suffered from a stroke. On the evening of November 4, he passed away due to the deteriorating condition. The funeral was held in Leipzig on the 7th, with musicians, including Schumann, Gade, and Moscheles, as pallbearers. The next day, his coffin was transported to Berlin and interred by his sister's in the church cemetery.

Mendelssohn's large compositions throughout his life include orchestral music, chamber music, keyboard music, oratorio and other vocal works. Among these, the most important genre is his orchestral music, including symphonies, overtures and concertos. His works to be performed by the NCPA Orchestra in this season mostly belong to this category.

Mendelssohn wrote five symphonies in total, and NCPA Orchestra will perform his Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 on May 25 this year (conducted by Eschenbach). This symphony was entitled "Reformation" in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 1830). However, the premiere came two years later, and it was not published until 1868, 21 years after the composer's death. The opening and ending of this symphony present a contrast between two types of religious music: the Palestrinian imitative writing based on the Jupiter motto of Mozart's symphony and the reference to "Dresden Amen" symbolize Catholicism, while "Ein feste Burg" ("A mighty fortress is our God") in the theme and texture of the final movement represents Lutheranism.

His trip to Italy in 1830 was inspirational for his Italian Symphony, which was completed and premiered in London in 1833, revised in the following year, but was published as the Fourth Symphony in 1851 after his death. The symphony begins with a bright motif, reminiscent of "the warm and aromatic air of southern Europe." The modal melody that commences the slow movement is clearly depicting religious rituals or processions. The inspiration for the third movement may come from Goethe's humorous poem "Lilis Park". The final movement, entitled "Saltarello," begins with fast-tempo sound-type, reminiscent of the Saltarello dance music he had heard in Italy.

The Lobgesang Symphony, composed in 1840, was published as his second symphony in 1841. NCPA Orchestra will perform this work on January 17 and 18, 2020. Similar to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn incorporated vocal music, religious music, to be precise, into this symphony and produced a mix of symphony and cantata: a combination of three-movement symphony and nine-movement vocal cantata. The lyrics from the Bible praise human's advancement from darkness to enlightenment.

Mendelssohn's last symphony was the Scottish Symphony, inspired by his trip to Scotland in 1829 but not completed until 1842 in Berlin. In the ruins of Edinburgh's Holyrood Palace, Mendelssohn, who was only 20 years old, conceived the theme of the slow introduction, played by bassoon and viola. He also attended the bagpipe competition in Edinburgh. Some elements of Scottish folk music undoubtedly appeared in the lively pentatonic introduced by clarinet at the beginning of the Scherzo. The entire symphony has five movements, which are interconnected with parts that grow from the continual thematic transformation of the original idea presented in the slow introduction to the first movement (E-A-B-C) and made a cohesive whole.

In addition, Mendelssohn also wrote a total of 13 symphonies for string ensembles in his early years from 1821 to 1823. These works show the influence of Bach, especially that of his second son C.P.E. Bach's works in this genre.

Overtures are Mendelssohn's most popular orchestral works. He wrote a total of six independent overtures. One of them, the Meeresstille und glücklishe Fahrt, composed in 1828, is based on Goethe's two short poems that depict a boat sailing on the calm sea. Beethoven also wrote a short Cantata for chorus and orchestra (published in 1822) based on the same verses, while Mendelssohn used only orchestra to express the poem. The prelude consists of two "pictures" connected by a transitional section. The ending is completed with the "Happy Sailing", suggesting a cheer for the ship arriving at the port.

Mendelssohn had created another celebrated themed overture, entitled The Hebrides, which was inspired by his tour on the west coast of Scotland in 1829. He once again introduced his theme with a motif, vividly portraying the tumultuous waves and the peculiar seascape. In the 1833 adaption for two pianos, he also included the title of Fingalshöhle.

Mendelssohn's Concertos are mainly for two instruments he was good at: piano and violin. He found that concerto was a particularly difficult task for him throughout his composition career, and he confided to his friends that he had painfully balanced between the requirements of virtuosity and the integrity of the art. His first and second piano concertos are better known, featuring bright and brilliant techniques with little contemporary style.

His last concerto, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, is a very special one. It is one of the most important violin concertos of the 19th century. The three interconnected movements have several notable features, including the early entry of the solo in the first movement, and that the Cadenza is used to connect the development and recapitulation. The slow movement in ternary form presents a lyrical "Song without Words", and the final movement in the sonata-rondo form is a typical Mendelssohn's capricious scherzo. The NCPA Orchestra will perform this famous piece with Tung-Chieh Chuang and Ziyu He on October 26, 2019.

Mendelssohn also produced excellent chamber music, including three piano trios, quartets, violin sonatas, sextets, Octet (completed in 1825 and considered to be Mendelssohn's first masterpiece), six string Quartets (1827-1847) and two string quintets, etc. The NCPA Chamber Music Series will present two string quartets from the Opus No. 44 in the 2019/20 season. These two pieces, composed during his honeymoon in the Black Forest following his wedding in Freiburg in 1837, are marked by their classical style.

Mendelssohn had been working on composing piano music throughout his life; he maintained mixed sentiments towards the piano music of that era and abandoned many popular techniques of the time. His mature piano works reveal three important influences from his predecessors: Bach's forceful counterpoint, Beethoven's Dramatic gesture and transcendental utterances, and Weber's virtuous piano texture. Lieder ohne Worte, the most popular among Mendelssohn's piano works, was published in six volumes with a total of 36 songs from 1832 to 1845 (another two volumes were published posthumously). The musical thought of a theorist at the time, A.B. Marx (who discussed the performance potential of instrumental music) also influenced Mendelssohn. Perhaps these works initially contained lyrics written by the composer, which were later removed. When given suggestion to add titles or lyrics to these works, Mendelssohn replied that he would rather keep them the way they were. He believed that pure instrumental music without titles and lyrics could be more expressive and unrestricted. He only added titles to a few of them (such as the three pieces called “Venetianisches Gondellied”).

Mendelssohn was not the only oratorio composer of the 19th century, but his two works: St Paul (1836) and Elijah (1846) enjoyed sustained popularity of his time. Of course, the theme of the conversion of Saul to St Paul carried special meaning for the Mendelssohns, who embraced Christianity. His composition drew much from the works of Handel. Elijah presents the famous prophet in the Bible; by adopting a rich chorus, removing the narrator, and embedding the plot lines into the character's monologues, the musical structure becomes better.

Mendelssohn's another impressive work is the secular cantata Die erste Walpurgisnacht (1832). Based on Goethe's poetry (from the first part of Faust), the work is to depict the pagan rituals of the Druids on the Brocken. Although Mendelssohn did not write a successful operatic work, he had been searching for a suitable opera script (libretto). He also wrote some incidental music; the most notable were the 12 pieces (including the famous Wedding March) written for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1843.

In short, Mendelssohn stood at the forefront of German music in the 1830s and 1840s (in the early days of Romanticism) and was a first-rate composer. His musical style was well established before the age of 20, primarily influenced by the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Weber. His seemingly conservative style recreated the great traditions of German classical music in the new Romantic era. In this respect, he was different from more radical Romantic composers such as Wagner, Berlioz, and Liszt. However, Mendelssohn was recognized after a tortuous development. Nietzsche regarded him but "an Interlude" of German music between Beethoven and Wagner. After his death, people often misinterpreted his music with overly sentimental expression. His works were also particularly hit by anti-Semitism in Europe since the 19th century. Wagner criticized Mendelssohn in his anonymous article Das Judenthum in der Musik. The Nazis of the 20th century even banned his music and removed and destroyed the statue of him that was erected in front of the Leipzig Gewandhaus. However, these acts did not affect Mendelssohn's distinction. Fortunately, people today have a more accurate understanding of him, and his music has become more popular.

LÜ Jia (LÜ): In 2019, we will perform quite a number of Richard Strauss's works. We will open this year's May Festival with his Duet Concertino. And on October 18 and 19, as part of the program of our music season, there will be his Four Last Songs, Serenade in E-flat major, Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, and Don Quixote. March 7th, 2020 NCPA Orchestra will perform his orchestral work Metamorphosen and the two symphonic poems Don Juan and Tod und Verklärung.

LIU: What expectation do you hold for this year's commemoration events and performances?

LÜ: I hope we can give guidance to our audience to better understand Richard Strauss and his music. We will not only hold concerts at NCPA, but also present dedicated performances in Macau. Most Chinese music enthusiasts may not be very familiar with him. First, there will soon be two concerts, on March 7 and 8 respectively, of the orchestral work Metamorphosen and the two symphonic poems Don Juan and Tod und Verklärung. Then, amiliar with Richard Strauss and our understanding of his music and his time can be somewhat insufficient.

LIU: What expectation do you hold for this year's commemoration events and performances?

LÜ: I hope we can give guidance to our audience to better understand Richard Strauss and his music. We will not only hold concerts at NCPA, but also present dedicated performances in Macau. Most Chinese music enthusiasts may not be very familiar with Richard Strauss and our understanding of his music and his time can be somewhat insufficient.

LIU: What's your opinion about Richard Strauss and his time?

LÜ: Richard Strauss's great achievements in the music world is firmly based on the social environment of his time and his personal cultural attainment. Richard's father was a renowned French horn player who was once favored by Richard Wagner. Richard Strauss's family had great music traditions. He went to the theatre frequently to attend all kinds of performances with his father when he was very young and got familiar with the orchestra and the stage quite early in life. This laid a solid foundation for his growth into an artist later. He was highly talented for instrument performance and composition and esteemed as the only person who carried the 19-century German Romanism into the 20th century. He inherited the music traditions and essence of his German and Austrian predecessors and was always full of inspiration of composition. For orchestral music, in particular, he showed amazing orchestration and texture building techniques. As a result, his works are fascinating and he himself is a personage brimmed with charm and charisma. When an orchestra plays Richard's works in rehearsal, all players will find it easier and more comfortable to present his music as the rehearsals go on and the orchestra gradually get high-spirited. This shows that Richard had a thorough and profound understanding of how orchestras work in practice and he knew well the mental processes of performers.

The Chinese audience may not be very familiar with Richard Strauss or the time he lived in. He was a music genius at the turn of the century and all that he achieved could found firm basis in the time he lived in. Carrying forward the tradition of Romanism, Richard created quite a number of innovations and the unprecedented cultural prosperity in society as a whole served as the fertile soil for them. In my opinion, those years are like a second Renaissance in Europe. There were so many great philosophers, scientists, artists and outstanding intellectuals. They represented cultural traditions but also made breakthroughs in their respective specialties. Aristocracy and education on liberal arts in Europe in the previous era were the determining factors that gave rise to such a cultural heyday at the turn of the century. After that, European culture turned more and more mercantile and mundane, and its attractiveness in the old days faded away. Entering the 20th century, utilitarianism and commercialism from the United States swept across Europe and the cultural atmosphere there changed radically after the two world wars. In comparison, Richard Strauss's time was much more brilliant and charming. He, together with a number of his contemporary composers, initiated a general trend that encompassed both inheritance of traditions and reforms for something new and different. Their steps seemed ponderous but enthusiasm and vitality actually abounded. One of Richard's contemporaries was Gustav Mahler, composer and conductor. The two had different pursuits in art but shared some common understandings and thoughts about mankind. Gustav Mahler expressed such thoughts in a more pessimistic and meticulous way, while Richard Strauss was more optimistic and rational, and his music was more structured. Both owed their music achievements to that great era.

LIU: What aspects in Richard Strauss and his music attract more of your attention?

LÜ: First of all, Richard Strauss had an excellent family cultural background. He received great music education early in life and that promised him the brilliant successes he later achieved. For sure, Richard was highly talented himself as well. The music talent one is endowed with is usually hard to measure or to describe. We can see precious luster and liveliness in his music, even including his early works. As for his later works, which are more diverse in style after he was profoundly influenced by conductor Hans von Bulow, the two points that are especially noteworthy technically are the orchestration and the structure. In terms of orchestration, Richard Strauss carried forward the traditions since Wagner and inherited and summarized Neu Deutsche Musik on the whole. He took the genre of symphonic poem, first created by Franz Liszt, as the core of his symphonic composition in the hope that music can be employed to express text and visual themes. This undoubtedly required innovations in orchestration so that the orchestra could rise to match the grandiose images that the music intended to depict. A question in front of every composer of the time was probably how to create, with a huge orchestra, a more majestic audio effect and form their own music style. Richard was amazingly successful at this and left far-reaching influence on later generations. We can hear music that sounds like Richard's in many blockbuster movies and some of them may simply be copycat works in terms of orchestration and even the melodies.

Another point worth mentioning here is how Richard reshaped traditional musical forms. Different from his more disruptive avant-garde contemporaries who pursued modern music, Richard Strauss delved deeper into the traditions and paid more respect and tried more to protect what the earlier generations had contributed. This is the basis of his musical creation. However, he wished to strike a balance between the traditional sonata form and his personal poetic pursuits. Therefore, his orchestral works usually adopted a compound structure. For example, in Don Juan, he combined sonata with rondo based on his personal understanding of the literary work that the music was based on. Such innovations on the basis of traditions were extremely difficult and could only be designed case by case for each piece of work. Fortunately, Richard Strauss produced such innovations in very convincing ways. He was precise with even the tiniest detail of his music and both the players and the listeners can feel his mastery of musical structure.

LIU: As a conductor, what do you think about Richard Strauss's dual achievements as a composer and conductor?

LÜ: As I have mentioned earlier, Richard Strauss was immersed in theatres when he was young. So he was naturally experienced in both performance and artistic creation from the very beginning. At that time, conducting seemed to be a kind of talent endowed by heaven on some elites. They held the baton as if simply because of some coincidence. Young Richard Strauss was a fervid follower of Brahms and he studied conducting with Hans von Bulow and worked as his assistant. This laid a solid foundation for his orchestral works. It is fair to say that Richard learned conducting largely by doing and such experience formed an integral part of his artistic achievements. His mastery of symphonic music and opera production were closely related to his experience as a conductor. Also, based on my personal experience in art, I'm clearly aware that a conductor needs many years of experience and accumulation before he or she could truly accomplish him/herself, and that such experience and accumulation come only from cooperating with numerous orchestras to stage many concerts. Moreover, a conductor must also have extensive knowledge on and thorough understanding of liberal arts. I admire those master conductors of the past for this. They had all gone through hardships all by themselves. Youth and talent are far from enough for any conductor.

LIU: Based on Richard Strauss's achievements, do you think there are any criteria to evaluate modern and contemporary arts?

LÜ: The world today is a world of commercialism where diversity is valued and encouraged. In arts, people tend work on their own too. So any comparison will be difficult. More and more people tend to reject using one absolute criterion for all, believing that such a criterion will pose restrictions on artistic creation and appreciation. However, personally, I still think it necessary to have a clear standard. In Western Classical music, if we compare today's composers or the previous generation with Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler, we can easily see gaps in composing techniques and the effectiveness of artistic expression and it is clear who is better. For example, among all nationalist musicians, Anton Bartok was clearly more accomplished than many of his predecessors. Meanwhile, the personal attainment of a composer also determines how much influence he or she may have internationally. Although folk culture has received close attention since the 19th century, the influence and historical value of a composer and his/her music still depend heavily on how deeply he/she thinks and how accomplished he or she is technically. Some composers are only known locally, while a few others gain international reputation. Richard Strauss is surely a first-class composer though he usually said he was second class. If there is no universal standard, the quality and value of artworks will be compromised. The lack of a universal standard actually may also serve as an excuse for being no more than ordinary. In fact, insiders tend to have consensuses anyway regarding how accomplished indeed one artist is.

LIU: What are your expectations for this year's performances of Richard Strauss's works?

LÜ: I hope the excellent performance of NCPAO will offer our audience at the NCPA an opportunity to have a closer look at and a better understanding of this German composer and be inspired by his music.

Although the October Revolution in 1917 changed the fate of Russian and the ethnic groups in Eastern Europe and Central Asia under its regime, it did not decisively change the development of Russian art and music that budded in the mid-19th century. Although the mainstream music in the Western Europe at that time had faced a critical turn before and after the First World War, and some "avant-garde" music also drew much attention in the Soviet Union in the 1920s, Russian music in the early 20th century was somehow more of a continuation than a transformation from the 19th-century music: the period from the establishment of the St.

Petersburg Conservatory of Music in 1861 to the demise of Khrushchev's regime in 1964 can be regarded as a breeding ground for Russian-Soviet music. This period is to the entire history of Russian music what the 19th century is to the whole history of the Western European music, marked by numerous great musicians and masterpieces.

Russia has complex geographical features and ethnic cultures. The major part of the Russian population is the East Slavs; in its formation process, many other Slavic ethnic groups were incorporated, including those in Western Europe, Near East and Central Asia (many Russian musicians have non-Russian surnames, like Сызар Гуэй, Метте Bunnell, Gerry ale and Джерри Mora; Shostakovich's ancestors were also Poles). Based on the Byzantine Orthodox tradition, Russian culture had absorbed distinct oriental elements and steppe customs during the centuries-long Mongol regime. In the 18th century, Western European modern civilization was introduced by the reform of Peter the Great and the expansion of Queen Ekaterina. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars required the Tsar to frequently participate in the allies of Western countries as an important member in maintaining the international order in the 19th-century Europe. While fully integrating into the academic and artistic contexts of Western Europe, Russian intellectuals and cultural elites paid close attention to the characteristics of their national conditions and public sentiments. Their spiritual pursuits and ideological depth were not limited to just one country or one ethnic group. Therefore, they became an essential component of the Western civilization in the modern era. The renowned Russian thinkers in the 19th century, such as Bakunin, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy have had a tremendous impact on the entire Christian world. Although Russia was a late starter in developing a native tradition of music, it is not surprising to see its sudden coming to the foe and setting the world on fire because it is based on such a broad and strong cultural legacy.

In this new season, the NCPA Orchestra will present several pieces of Russian-music by such composers as Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, whose works represent the glory of an era and various styles of different periods. The seven composers also represent different generations: Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and Rimsky Korsakov (1844-1908) were the most famous composers in the second half of the 19th century. The Moscow Conservatory of Music and the St.

Petersburg (Leningrad) Conservatory, where these two composers served as faculty members respectively, were also the top two cradles for professional music talents. Rachmaninoff (1870-1940) and Skriabin (1872-1915) were the most talented among the Russian composers before World War I, and they had very different musical styles; Stravinsky (1882-1971) and Prokofiev (1891-1953), a generation later, belonged to the last generation of musicians cultivated in old Russia. These two were known as radical avant-garde before and after the World War I, but later their personal styles changed: the former became unique and unconventional, while the latter grew adaptive to the reality and became a representative of socialist realism.

Shostakovich (1906-1975), born under the Red Banner, was the first Soviet composer in true sense. His works, produced during his prime roughly from around 1930 to 1960, were marked by a strong spirit of "Stalin era". Shostakovich sought to continue the grand spirits of Russian music from the 19th century. His works display distinct historical senses with intricate reference to reality, which is the tradition established by Mussorgsky.

Between these composers of different generations, there had been clear hints of mentorship or rivalry. Both Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov were influenced to varying degrees by Balakirev, the founder of "The Mighty Five." However, the Rubinstein brothers, different from the nationalist style of amateur musicians, played a more decisive role in the works of the former. The relationship between Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov was subtle, somewhat similar to that between the German musicians like Wagner and Brahms. Rachmaninoff and Scriabin were both from the Moscow Conservatory of Music and had been classmates since childhood. The young Rachmaninoff benefited from Tchaikovsky and later became the heir of the 20th century Russian romantic tradition. Stravinsky and Prokofiev were both students of Rimsky-Korsakov; Shostakovich was a student of Maximilian Steinberg, who was Rimsky-Korsakov student and son-in-law. In short, the Russian-Soviet musicians of this period were inextricably related in terms of life, education, professional development and social relations, and belonged to a community of shared culture and interest. In the context of Western music, this phenomenon was similar to the French composer circle, which was centered on the Paris Conservatory of Music (France and Russia were more similar in political situations, to which the artists' survival mechanism was closely bound), but very different from other European and American communities.

Hence, we may approach the dozen of works by these eight composers as a whole, as if they were an exhibition arranged around the same theme and grouped into four units according to the times. Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov lived in the second half of the 19th century and their works represent the heyday of Romanticism in Russian music; Rachmaninoff and Scriabin were of the "end of the century" generation, and their works represent the late Romanticism; Stravinsky is the earliest modernist. He spent most of his time in Western Europe and the United States after World War I, and his works stand out in Western music with unique style; Prokofiev, Khachaturian and Shostakovich are the most important composers in the early history of Soviet music. In the late 19th century, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor (Op. 64, 1888) marked the pinnacle of this period (although the composer himself did not like this work) with its prominent characters and the distinctive style of late Romantic era symphonic music. According to some critics, the composer's last three symphonic works can be understood as a coherent "autobiographical trilogy". The theme of the trilogy is to explore the relationships between the inner soul and the outer world, and the individual and the destiny. The Symphony No. 4 puts forward this proposition, presenting some sorts of reverie and vision; Symphony No. 6 declares the complete defeat of both the soul and the body; and the Fifth Symphony narrates the violent struggles and the growing mental entanglement of the artist. Struggles between individual and fate are supposedly the central idea of symphony, a pure musical genre. However, Tchaikovsky's expressions are highly personified. Despite the lack of German-style motif-driven techniques, the composer ingeniously infuses thoughts and monologues into exaggerated and beautiful musical images with his artistic creativity (seen in the immediate emotional climax right after the introduction of the motif as well as the propelling force derived from the repeated melodies carried out by careful orchestration). The second movement of the symphony is so grand that it almost becomes the center of the entire piece (a trend in the composition of symphony in the late Romantic era). The fascinating and melancholic meditation is once again interrupted by the intrusion of fate. This fitful expression continues through the fragmented waltz, suppressing the articulation of the seemingly boundless joy of the final movement. Unresolved contradictions intensify the imbalance, a timeless issue for symphony that even outlives Tchaikovsky and continues to challenge younger generations of Russian composers. In the unit "End of the Century", Symphony No. 4 Poem of Ecstasy by Scriabin is the composer's attempt to use Mysticism to dispel the fear of reality, ending with a nebula-like broken imagery; while Rachmaninoff, after numerous attempts, formally ends the Romantic musical approach to this proposition with the nostalgic metaphor ubiquitous in his Paganini Rhapsody (Op. 43). Perhaps among the myriad successors, the most distinguished composer was Shostakovich (in the last unit "Soviet Music"), whose symphonic works no longer contain the ceaseless melancholy or sensational sentiments (the reasons why many Western critics don't like Tchaikovsky), but the central theme remains the same: it is still the " struggle between individual and fate," and a struggle of an even more sensitive soul in a crueler battlefield of a changing world. Shostakovich not only illustrates the subjective impression of the objective world, but also tries to be a neutral observer to examine the two sides of the struggle. This is the beacon of his several symphonies in the post-Stalin era as well as the pinnacle of Realism tradition in Russian classical music.

In addition to the grand and profound masterpieces themed on "humanity", the "tributary" in the vast musical territory is the unique and successful Russian-Soviet titled music that is marked by national and folk characteristics. This achievement is fully reflected in this "Russian Music Series." Both Rimsky-Korsakov's Spanish Caprice, Op. 34 and Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 contain "exotic" elements from the cultural perspective of Eastern Europe, revealing stronger folk spirit and sense of nostalgia than those of the musicians from Western Europe. The adaptation of folk tunes and the collection of folklore foster the artistic production, giving rise to a new movement "Primitivism" at the beginning of the 20th century. To this day, The Rite of Spring may still be the most popular work by Stravinsky: the mysterious sacrificial scenes, frantic dance rhythms, and tonal texture, all of which are at odd with the elegant academicism and lyrical Romanticism, provoking the Bourgeois fun. This controversial work at the time dawned the modern music and triggered many music genres before and after World War I. Stravinsky's compositions encompass unique and varying styles, blending traditional and modern elements. After half a century of expatriation, the old composer returned to his home country in the autumn of 1962; the long lost glory of the nation only induced his mixed feelings and sorrow.

The composers who were born in the "Silver Age" and experienced two major world wars were already "the sunset heroes". The most glorious era in the history of Russian music has come to a close, and can only be read, interpreted, and reviewed by the subsequent generations. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, the NCPA Orchestra will resound the enduring Russian voice and reproduce the profound musical thoughts that span the century. Music is like the "fossil" of human spiritual and intellectual activities. The audible imagery will reveal the emotions hidden in the long history, and illustrate the past glory for the future generations.