On the evening of September 16, the "Century Melody Grand Soul -- Century Masters Classic Music Concert" was staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The event was sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and organized by the China Musicians Association, Central Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, and Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
The concert was composed of 24 classic music works by eight masters in the documentary Century Masters: Xiao Youmei, Liu Tianhua, He Lüting, Huang Zi, Xian Xinghai, Nie Er, Zheng Lücheng, and Li Huanzhi. The songs included those that were familiar to the public, such as Defend the Yellow River (Bao Wei Huang He), The Song of Newspaper Boy (Mai Bao Ge), and Socialism is Good (She Hui Zhu Yi Hao), those that have aroused folks’ awareness of self-saving and fighting during the wartime, such as A Patriotic Song in Honor of May Fourth Movement (Wu Si Ji Nian Ai Guo Ge) and To the Promising Future (Guang Ming Xing), those that combined local features and national pursuits, such as Prelude of the Spring Festival (Chun Jie Xu Qu) and The Arrival of February (Er Yue Li Lai), and those that showed eastern aesthetics and artistic values, such as Three Wishes of A Rose (Mei Gui San Yuan) and Chirps in Serene Mountains (Kong Shan Niao Yu)... The concert led the audience into the art and spiritual world of these masters to appreciate the typical Chinese melodies and resonate with the call of the time from the Chinese nation, taking a further step to bolster cultural confidence and enhance patriotism.
Yin Qing, a famous composer, previous head of the PLA General Political Department Song and Dance Ensemble, and chief music designer of Century Masters, assumed the role of artistic director, and Yang Qifang, a renowned lyricist and songwriter, served as the chief contributor. Conducted by Tan Lihua and Zhu Man, both of whom are well-known in the field, the concert witnessed the performances given by the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra and the Nanchang Symphony Orchestra and the songs by famous artists Liao Changyong, Wei Song, Zhang Liping, Wu Bixia, Song Fei, Chen Jun, Shi Yijie, Wang Lida, Wang Li, Gong Shuang, Lü Hongwei, the Central Conservatory of Music Choir, and the Spring Bud Dream Choir. Qu Xianhe, a well-known recital performance artist and a National Class-A Actor, and Li Yangwei, a famous hostess from the Beijing Radio and Television Station, co-hosted the concert.
The grand cultural program Century Masters is the first series of biopic documentaries in China that focuses on the masters and giants who have made exceptional contributions to the Chinese civilization in the 20th century. Co-filmed by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the China Media Group, the Chinese National Academy of Arts, the China Literature and Art Foundation, Century Masters (Beijing) Communication Co., and other units and enterprises, Century Masters tells the uncommon lives, outstanding achievements, and great aspirations of Chinese giants from various angles via its unique shooting. It is divided into 16 chapters in music, fine arts, calligraphy, Peking Opera, drama, literature, and science and technology.
