China News Service, Beijing, October 10th. On October 9th, the large-scale original national symphonic drama concert "Mountains and Rivers Come True" premiered at the Beijing Concert Hall. Jiang Ying, the composer, screenwriter and chief director of the play, said that the biggest breakthrough of this work is to create a stage paradigm that deeply integrates music and drama, and achieves the creative transformation and innovative development of red themes in the field of national music.
On the same day, a press conference for the drama was held simultaneously. Zhang Gaoxiang, president and chief planner of the China Broadcasting Art Troupe, said that as a literary and art troupe directly under the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the creation and production of "Mountains and Rivers Come True" is an important practice for the China Broadcasting Art Troupe to fulfill its cultural mission, continue its red blood, and carry forward the spirit of the Long March. The work adheres to the creative principle of "equal emphasis on integrity and innovation" throughout the entire process, adheres to the original appearance of red history, the roots of national music and professional artistic standards, takes national orchestral music as its soul, and integrates drama, vocal music, and recitation, making the rich revolutionary history audible, perceptible, and directly touching the hearts of the people.
Bao Feng, Party Secretary of the China Broadcasting Art Troupe, pointed out that on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March, using a high-quality red-themed stage work to look back on the prosperous years and inherit the red gene is a “practical answer” handed over by literary and art workers to history, and it is also a practical action to celebrate the Long March with high-quality masterpieces.
Zhou Li, general manager of Shanghai Folk Musical Instruments No.1 Factory Co., Ltd., said that Shanghai Folk Music No.1 Factory participated as a co-producer to help relive the feats of the Long March and gather strength for progress. In the future, it will continue to rely on the carrier of national musical instruments to tell red stories.
At the press conference, Ge Yanan, the permanent conductor of the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, shared the details of the rehearsal of the huge staff of nearly 160 people in terms of stage scheduling and vocal integration. According to the person in charge of the China Broadcasting Art Troupe, as the chief conductor of the project, conductor Peng Jiapeng also participated in the artistic creation and rehearsal polishing of "Mountains and Rivers Come True".
The whole play "Mountains and Rivers Come True" is structured with ten original movements and two chapters, following the marching footsteps of the Central Red Army. The first half focuses on "Expedition and Bloodbath": "Farewell on the Long River" reproduces the farewell of the people of southern Jiangxi on the Red Army expedition; "Cold Night Light" reproduces the tragedy of the bloody battle on the Xiangjiang River and the heroism of Chen Shuxiang, the commander of the 34th Red Division, who broke his heart and made his determination clear; "The Bright Star" reflects the dialogue between the suona and the Lusheng. Following the great turning point of the Zunyi Conference; "Starting Over" uses a trio of male voices to sing the heroic spirit of "the great pass is as long as iron"; "Yihai League" uses Han and Yi musical instruments to play an ensemble to compose a story of national unity; "Crossing the Crisis" uses boatmen's chants to shout out the iron-blooded loyalty of the Dadu River. The second half turns to "Leap and Fulfill": "Expedition is Difficult" sets up a dialogue between time and space, allowing contemporary youth and the Red Army heroes to empathize with the desperate situation of the snowy mountains and grasslands; "Break the Sky" combines the Battle of Lazikou with the melody of the "Internationale" to play the strong voice of faith on the eve of victory; "Beautiful Beauty" celebrates the meeting of northern Shaanxi with Banhu's lead performance; "New Journey" brings the atmosphere to a climax with chorus and national orchestra.
An audience member shared after the show: "In the past, when I attended ethnic concerts, the musicians would sit on the stage and perform, but this time it was completely different. Some of them also recited lyrics and acted, interspersed together to better present the story of the Long March and let the appeal of the Long March spirit hit the bottom of their hearts." Another audience member said. He noted the "leading" status of national music: "Although there are dialogues and performances, at every critical point, there is always a piece of national instrumental music to push up the emotion. Music is not simply a drama accompaniment, but allows the voices, lines, and movements to act as different 'voices', which together constitute this great drama."
On the night of the premiere, the national tour along the Long March route was announced to start simultaneously. Starting from October 18, the crew will visit Ganzhou, Zunyi, Chengdu, Yan'an, Lanzhou, Shanghai and other places. On October 31, "Mountains and Rivers Come True" will be unveiled at the National Center for the Performing Arts as the final work of the 7th China Broadcasting Art Troupe Art Season. The tour will fully combine the chorus strength and folk music resources from various places, so that the spirit of the Long March can take root in the cities along the way, infiltrate people's hearts, and achieve "walking" dissemination.
