Peng Peng Gong: Symphony No. 10: Peking Fantasy: Orchester

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and in hope to support the promotion of Chinese culture abroad, Peng-Peng Gong's (b. 1992) Tenth Symphony, subtitled 'Peking Fantasy' (Op. 55) was co-commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017. The world premiere of the 2018 original version was presented by the SPO in April of the same year in Shanghai, while the world premiere of the 2019 revised version was presented by the Philadelphia Orchestra in January at its home venue with the combined forces of both orchestras side-by-side. Inspired by the artistic power of Peking Opera _x001A_the crowning heritage of Chinese traditional performing arts, the symphony strives to translate the emotional and philosophical experience of the art form for international audiences and to explore the Western orchestra's expressive abilities in capturing the Eastern spirit. The 2018 original version ran as long as 76 minutes, before the composer extensively revised the score down to 40 and presented it in a single movement without pause. The work is scored for a huge orchestra of over 100 players. Main materials that inspired the music are from the traditional Peking Opera repertory: The Drunken Beauty, Farewell My Concubine, In Pursuit of the General, and The Chancellor and the Advisor (lit. Cao Cao and Yang Xiu). 'Peking Fantasy' is in a sweet, direct musical language ...It's a work of highly original sounds presented in a series of vivid episodes. -Peter Dobrin, The Philadelphia Inquirer