Shanghai school to mark centennial of Chinese art songs

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music will hold a series of projects to commemorate the centennial of the creation of Chinese art songs in 2020 and 2021.

Liao Changyong, president of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, said on Monday that the projects will range from personnel training to curriculum creation and cultural exchanges.

According to Liao, the school will invite international experts to visit Shanghai and provide talent-training to its teachers and students.

Liao also said the institution plans to publish a record consisting of 16 Chinese classical poetry art songs, in cooperation with the world-renowned German music publisher Breitkopf & Hartel.

In 1920, Chinese composer Qing Zhu created the first Chinese art song The Great River Goes East during his study in Germany. It is regarded as the very beginning of Chinese art songs.

"Many excellent projects are going on and we are looking forward to more cooperation," said Professor Hartmut Holl with the Karlsruhe University of Music in Germany in a short video.

"Two years ago, when I first heard Chinese art songs in Shanghai, I was immediately fascinated by the music," Holl said, adding that Chinese art songs express drama, longing, melancholy, tenderness and nostalgia and should be enjoyed by more European music lovers.