On July 15, the Phoenix Concert 2022 kicked off at noon on Bay Area Live. Learning a language and understanding the culture of the country in which it is spoken is a pivotal part of whole-person education. Music is also one of the expressions of culture and learning a language through music is a new way to internationalize language learning.

Phoenix Concert 2022 is the first concert of Phoenix Language Village, a cultural feast of high artistic and professional standards. Through the combination of artists' performance repertoire and national culture, the classic Chinese and foreign cultures were vividly interpreted. The first Phoenix Concert was chosen to be broadcast live at noon, and through the healing effect of music, the audience, whether they are in good times or bad, could gain perspectives and insights about life and humanity.

The concert featured renowned musical artists from the Bay Area and was supported by Xinghai Youth Palace in Panyu District, Guangzhou. The concert opened with a performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” for piano and orchestra by Xinger Children Symphony Orchestra of Xinghai Youth Palace in Panyu District, Guangzhou. The orchestra has won many prestigious awards at home and abroad and has performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vienna, Leipzig, Berlin and other places. “Rhapsody in Blue” perfectly combined American native black jazz with Debussy and Rachmaninoff's European music style for the first time, creating a unique symphonic composition belonging to the American individual style and creating a new era of American serious music. Then came the ballet "Mazzuca" presented by Xinger Child Ballet. The Mazzuca style of this dance is characterized by a solemn and steady, elegant and smooth, delicate and meticulous, and emotionally blazing style, showing a high and proud boldness and strongly exuding the children's self-confidence and cheerfulness.

“Rhapsody in Blue” by Xinger Child Symphony Orchestra

“Mazzuca” by Xinger Child Ballet

Shao Lin, a renowned erhu player and current erhu instructor at the Department of Music of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, presented two beautiful erhu pieces. As one of the first batch of "outstanding talents" introduced by the Hong Kong Government, Ms. Shao Lin has been invited to perform many large erhu concertos with famous music groups and conductors, such as Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai National Orchestra, Central Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. “It's Hard to Say Goodbye” is a piece of music composed by Mr. He Zhanhao based on the untitled love poem “It's Hard to Say Goodbye When You See Each Other” by the great poet Li Shangyin in the Tang Dynasty. Ms. Shao Lin added a recitation to the exquisite music, expressing the poet's heartfelt sentiment of pursuing true love to the fullest. The piece "A Small View of a Mountain Village" is a solo erhu piece with local colors from Shandong, depicting the beautiful and elegant scenery of the mountains and forests and the simplicity and spontaneity of the countryside.

Ms. Shao Lin is performing beautiful erhu music.

Ms. Zhai Chang, a young soprano and conductor of the Southern Medical University Chorus, presented two beautiful female solos. "Wishing you were somehow here again" is from Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece "The Phantom of the Opera," which is a solo for female voices in Act II. "Saper vorreste" is from Act III of the opera "Masquerade" composed by Verdi. The impressive acts of the drama, such as the tense plot, the lively ball, the gentleman and the lady, the intrigue and the disguise are told one by one in the moving voice of Ms. Zhai Chang.

Ms. Zhai Chang's female solo

Renowned viola and violinist Ms. Guo Yu Wen performed four violin pieces for the audience. Mr. Guo Yuwen once worked in Macao Symphony Orchestra, and now is the chief viola of Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra and the chief of Hong Kong HK CMC Chamber Orchestra. In addition to working in the Hague Symphony Orchestra with Neeme Jarvi as the principal conductor and touring the world, she has been a guest performer with the Royal Netherlands Symphony Orchestra many times. “The Swan” is the only piece from the “Carnival of the Animals Suite” composed by Saint-Saëns, a gifted French composer, which Saint-Saëns agreed to play publicly before his death. The almost unadorned main melody fully embodies the calmness, grace and tenderness of the swan. “The Chardash Dance” is a Hungarian style dance piece composed by the Italian violinist and composer Monti. By using various complex techniques of the violin, such as high and low contrast, overtones, etc., it creates a strong dramatic effect and enchants the listener. “Angel of Music” is the theme song of “The Phantom of the Opera,” which is performed in the form of a string quartet with a haunting melody that draws the listener deep into the world of “The Phantom.” “I Wish” is a Portuguese complaint piece (also known as Fado), in which Ms. Guo Yu Wen uses viola, violin and vocalist to play the main and secondary roles, and intensely portrays the complex feelings towards life and love of people who have left home and sailed to the sea.

Ms. Guo Yuwen's String Quartet

The first Phoenix concert came to an end with the beautiful Portuguese Fado. Phoenix Language Village is dedicated to combining language learning and cross-cultural experiences, where music is both a "language" and a full reflection of the cultures of different countries. It is the mission of Phoenix School to enhance international understanding through learning music and language, and to cultivate high-level talents with a global perspective. This Phoenix Concert combined music and art, language and culture, and national flavor, bringing a classical artistic feast to the teachers and students in the Greater Bay Area. With the warm applause at the end of the final song, Phoenix Concert 2022 came to a successful end.

Translator: Xu Yifan

Proofreading: Martin Wittenberg