'The Choir' Sunday, 16th Sept

[DracoM]

"Aled Jones looks at the fascinating story behind the creation of the "Yellow River Cantata",

The Cantata was written in 1939 by a Chinese composer, Xian Xinghai, who had previously studied in Paris with Vincent d'Indy and Paul Dukas. On his return to China, Xian Xinghai merged choral music with Communist politics to write this homage to the Yellow River, an emblem of national pride, in order to encourage the Chinese to resist Japanese invasion."

[rank_and_file]

Worth highlighing.

I picked up on the last few movements yesterday evening - quite fascinating. There is quite a good bit on it in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_River_Cantata.

It seems all of China knows it (!) and you can listen to it on the BBC R3 listen again facility for this week. It starts about 50minutes into the programme.

It really is a curiously appealing mixture of Chinese/Western classical music, often akin to film or theatre music. I am sure I got bits of Puccini (Turandot) and Bernstein, even “English Pastoral” and I see the composer, Xian Xinghai was at the Paris Conservatoire - hence, I presume, the d’Indy and Dukas influence you quote.

[Flosshilde]

Yes, I got the Puccini-esque bits. I couldn't decide if that was a compliment to Puccini or to the Yellow River cantata . Very enjoyable. I missed whaen it was composed?

[rank_and_file]

Flosshilde

I think Puccini did his own research as he died in 1924 leaving Turnadot unfinished.
It seems Xian Xinghai composed Yellow River Cantata quickly in 1939. Wikipedia says there are various versions including a “Soviet” version.