New choir hits the high notes for Party's anniversary

According to Xu Jian, general manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall, co-organizer of the ongoing tour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, 10 concerts are being held from March 7 to July 1, covering a variety of art forms, such as symphony, traditional Chinese music, dance and piano recitals.

"Over the past century, the Party has made a great commitment to bettering the lives of the people. We will celebrate together with classic works," says Xu.

On April 10, conductor Zheng will lead the symphony orchestra and singers from the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater in a gala, titled Dongfang Hong (The East Is Red).

This is a restaging of the classic gala, which was performed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 1964, marking the 15th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China.

With more than 3,000 people performing at the event, including dancers, singers and orchestras, the gala accommodated 14 shows.

To reach an even wider audience, it was turned into a movie by the August First Film Studio in 1965, and was met with huge success.

On Dec 26, 2020, the new version of the 1964 gala premiered at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, which received warm feedback from nostalgic fans.

"All the artists performing in the gala are very young; they maintain the legacy," says Zheng.

"When the audiences sing along with us during the gala, it is very exciting.

"We hope to pay tribute to those people who made a contribution to the development of the country."

On June 17, Long March Suite, a large-scale symphonic and choral concert, will be held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall under the baton of Zheng.

Written by Xiao Hua (1916-85) in 1965, the Long March Suite commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the Long March, an epic strategic transfer by the three Red Armies of China-the First Front, the Second Front and the Fourth Front-that took place in 1934 and 1935.

According to Xu, both Dongfang Hong and the concert of the Long March Suite will tour nationally with 25 performances in total.