KLASSIKOM=Innovations in classical music

KLASSIKOM=Innovations in classical music

Return of Legendary “All-Chinese Ring” with Die Walküre

16 min · 12 de may de 2026
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Portada del episodio Return of Legendary “All-Chinese Ring” with Die Walküre

Descripción

Between 2013 and 2015, I saw the final three operas of Wagner’s Ring cycle at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, conducted by Yu Feng, then Preisident of the China National Opera, and directed by Wang Huquan produced by the China National Opera. Because every leading role was sung by Chinese artists, the production quickly became known as the legendary “all-Chinese cast” Ring.For me, the significance of that project went far beyond novelty. It gave a generation of Chinese singers the rare opportunity to perform the complete Ring cycle, nurturing and establishing many of the country’s finest Wagnerians in the process. More importantly, it marked a historic breakthrough: a fully home-grown Chinese Ring production capable of standing on its own artistic merits.Yet after the new theatre of China National Opera was completed, this milestone production quietly disappeared from the company’s seasons. Over time, the “all-Chinese cast” Ring took on an almost mythical status - until Sunday evening at the Shanghai Symphony Hall, when Yu Feng returned with a hand-picked ensemble to present a three-hour concert version drawn from Die Walküre.Two bass-baritones were particularly remarkable. Most striking of all was the portrayal of Wotan, moving seamlessly from divine authority and rage to heartbreaking human vulnerability. In the third act, his farewell to Brünnhilde - sung by China’s leading Wagnerian soprano Wang Wei - was profoundly moving, the kind of performance that leaves the audience emotionally shattered.Under Yu Feng’s commanding direction, the combined force of Shanghai and Ninbo Symphony Orchestras recaptured the fire, discipline, and sheer dramatic intensity that defined the China National Opera Orchestra more than a decade ago. The refinement of the details was often breathtaking. When it comes to Wagner’s Ring, the national company still shows what the highest level of Chinese operatic forces can achieve.Hu Yifan, a guest of KLASSIKOM, shared her story performing and listening to Die Walküre.Filmed and interviewed on May 10, 2026 in Shanghai.This is a Chinese language programme with bilingual subtitles. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klassikom.substack.com [https://klassikom.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

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episode Compose for Intangible Heritage artwork

Compose for Intangible Heritage

On the evening of 2 June at 7:30pm, the He Luting Concert Hall of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music hosted Intangible Heritage of Shanghai, a concert of newly commissioned works for Chinese chamber ensemble. Using music to “map” Shanghai’s intangible cultural heritage, the programme featured ten newly composed works by ten composers, each inspired by a different element of the city’s local intangible cultural traditions. Earlier, on 29 May, the same programme and performers appeared at Shanghai’s Wanping Theatre as part of a public-benefit performance initiative presented by the Department of Composition and Conducting of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Marking the creative team’s first venture into community-oriented theatre outreach, the project sought to bring contemporary composition closer to the public and to give back to society through music. Centred on Shanghai’s intangible cultural heritage traditions, the concert embodied the ideal of “creating for the people and singing for the times,” receiving an enthusiastic response from audiences. Most of the ten featured composers are emerging young voices from the Shanghai Conservatory’s Department of Composition and Conducting. The programme includes: * Yuan Yuan — Weaving Brocade * Liu Ruixin — Lantern Festival Night * Xie Qinwei — Porcelain Patterns I * Li Yide — Candlelight * He Jianing — Endless Threads * Lan Junyi — Brocade Strings * Lou Jia — Flowing Light * Shi Zhixuan — Rain Bells * Li Nixia — Bronze * Lin Luxin — Boundless: Spirit of Martial Arts The concert showcases a wide range of traditional Chinese instruments, including pipa, guzheng, yangqin, dizi, xiao, sheng, suona, erhu, ruan, liuqin and percussion. Each ensemble combination is closely tied to a specific item of Shanghai intangible cultural heritage. * Weaving Brocade for pipa, piano and percussion draws inspiration from Shanghai-style wool embroidery, recreating the metallic shimmer of needles weaving through silk. * Lantern Festival Night for flute, sheng, guzheng, yangqin and percussion evokes the famed Yuyuan Lantern Festival, reimagining the poetic scene of “trees of flowers blooming in the night wind”. * Porcelain Patterns I for pipa, guzheng and percussion is inspired by Shanghai’s traditional ceramic restoration techniques and incorporates the folk tune Little Bench. * Candlelight for bamboo flute, suona, pipa and piano draws on the traditional gongs-and-drums storytelling art of Nanhui, using rhythmic patterns transmitted directly by heritage practitioners. * Endless Threads for percussion and piano takes inspiration from Mianquan martial arts, embedding hidden musical motifs within its pitch structure. * Brocade Strings for Chinese chamber ensemble reflects the delicate elegance of Songjiang’s Shijin gong-and-drum tradition, capturing the refined softness associated with Jiangnan culture. * Flowing Light for ruan and piano explores the folk beliefs surrounding the Little White Dragon of Jinshan, imagining a dance between the sun deity Xihe and water spirits. * Rain Bells for liuqin and accordion takes its cue from Jiading bamboo carving and musically depicts Emperor Xuanzong of Tang remembering Yang Guifei amid falling rain. * Bronze for sheng, guzheng and percussion is inspired by the bronze craftsmanship of the Shanghai Museum, conjuring the fierce imagery of ancient taotie motifs. * Boundless: Spirit of Martial Arts for Chinese chamber ensemble pays tribute to Jingwu martial arts culture, transcending sectarian traditions and transforming martial movement into musical expression. For general audiences, the most immediate appeal of the concert lies in the vivid imagery and storytelling behind each piece. Flickering candle flames in Candlelight, the crisp sound of silver needles touching silk in Weaving Brocade, or the wistful ringing of rain-soaked carriage bells in Rain Bells all create scenes that listeners can instantly picture and emotionally connect with. Each composition is also accompanied by a re-imagined digital visual projections, revamped from the first show last year. Images of traditional craftsmanship, historic streets illuminated by lantern festivals, and ancient bronze motifs will flow across the screen in synchronisation with the music, creating an immersive dialogue between sound and image. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klassikom.substack.com [https://klassikom.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

3 de jun de 20268 min