Centenary of the Birth of Xian Xinghai Commemorative Concert
The Macao Orchestra

Sunday, October 16, 2005 晚上八時     Ruins of St. Paul's     Free admission

Conductors: En Shao, Maria Vanessa Leão
Sun Xiu Wei, Soprano
Fu Hai Jing, Baritone
Chang Chien Jung, Yeh Hung Wen, Tenors
Lio Kuok Man, Piano
Shi Juan, Pipa
Cheng Kun Hou, Sanxian
Recited by Zhang Yu Wen
Chorus: Coro Perosi, Opera Hong Kong Chorus, Macao Youth Choir, Zhuhai Gongbei Philharmonic Chorus, Taipei Chamber Singers
The Macao Orchestra

Programme:
Song of the Patriots (Lyrics by Se Ke)
Defeating the Enemy (Lyrics by Zhao Qi Hai)
Patriotism (Lyrics by Tian Han)
Nocturnal Melodies (Lyrics by Tian Han)
Dedication Devotion (Lyrics by Mai Xin)
Thorns of Jujube (Lyrics by Se Ke)
Children of Our Country (Lyrics by Zhao Qi Hai)
Yellow River Piano Concerto (Arr. by Yin Cheng Zong)
Yellow River Cantata (Lyrics by Guang Wei Ran)

This commemorative concert pays homage to one of the most renowned Chinese composers of the 20^th century, Xian Xinghai. A student of Vincent d'Indy and Paul Dukas, Xian wrote in all the major musical forms (his oeuvre includes two symphonies, a violin concerto, four large-scale choral works, nearly 300 songs, and an opera), but his reputation today largely rests on his late Romantic cantata The Yellow River (1939). Allegedly written in a cave in period of only six days during the China-Japanese War, this seven-movement cantata uses traditional folk melodies and the image of the mighty Huang He (Yellow River).