РОЛЬ ЛИ ДЭЛУНЯ В СОХРАНЕНИИ ОРКЕСТРОВ КИТАЯ

Abstract

Li Delun, an outstanding Chinese conductor, has made a huge contribution to the development and popularisation of Chinese symphonic music in Russia, Europe and the USA. Having received an excellent education at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of opera and symphony conducting, Li Delun has rightfully earned a place in the cohort of outstanding musicians of our time. In early 1956, Li Delun was commissioned by the Chinese political leadership to establish and lead the Central Orchestra. He formed the repertoire of the symphony orchestra, combining Western classics (symphonies by W. A. Mozart, L. Beethoven, R. Schumann) with new works by modern Chinese composers (Sytsong, Luo Zhongzhong). Li Delun considered his greatest achievement to be the Chinese premiere of J. Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” (1958). However, this production, along with the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony during the celebration of the Xth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in 1959, became increasingly dissonant with the tense political atmosphere. The article reveals Li Delun’s role in preserving symphonic music-making during the difficult period of the “cultural revolution” in China.