Shanghai Symphony Orchestra

“Our countries have moved further apart. Most people are so immersed in their own life experience that they don’t even try to understand the culture of other societies … but by comparing these two works people can see the double picture – how Europeans feel about love, pleasure, and death, and how the Chinese feel about the same things.” Long Yu. Centuries-old Chinese poetry is brought vividly to life in a new recording from Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Their second album for Deutsche Grammophon, The Song of the Earth, is set for international release on 13 August 2021. The world premiere recording of the contemporary The Song of the Earth by Ye Xiaogang is presented alongside Gustav Mahler’s classic symphony. Ye’s ambitious new work expresses the grandeur and beauty of the original Tang Dynasty poems that Mahler set in German translation, fusing a contemporary style with centuries’ worth of traditions from both east and west. Long Yu, who commissioned Ye’s work, conducts the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in this fascinating meeting of histories and cultures.

Inspired by the image of a violin melody ‘flying off’, Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng’s virtuosic three-movement concerto Let Fly interweaves Chinese and Western classical elements. Vivid legends of astrological animals inform Zodiac Tales, a tour de force concerto for orchestra. Reflecting the city of Suzhou’s ancient, continuous cultural heritage, traditional nostalgia fuses with contemporary rhythms in the exciting Suzhou Overture. These works are featured here in their world premiere recordings.

The second Deutsche Grammophon release “Gateways” by the newly signed Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Long Yu features Chinese and Russian works. This is the first in a series of SSO albums featuring works by important Chinese composers This 2019 release celebrates the orchestra’s 140th anniversary – it is China’s oldest orchestra – and coincides with a major US and European tour with Long Yu. Star soloist Maxim Vengerov is the dedicatee and first performer of Qigang Chen’s violin concerto.

Deutsche Grammophon presents: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Great Recordings (Vol. 2). Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven Berlioz, Mahler, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Strauss.

Filmed and recorded live to the highest industry standards in front of the magnificent scenery of Beijing’s Forbidden City, this unique gala concert celebrates the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon. The concert features conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, both freshly signed as exclusive recording artists to Deutsche Grammophon, and performances from Aida Garifullina, Daniil Trifonov, Mari Samuelsen, and more.