China Philharmonic Orchestra

The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) was established on the basis of the China Broadcasting Symphonic Orchestra. It is now directly under the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television with Yu Long as its chief conductor and chief arts inspector.

The China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra was among the first symphony orchestras established after the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and has contributed greatly to China's musical development. Officially founded on May 25, 2000, the orchestra has set its objective of becoming "first rate at home, among the best in Asia, and well-known in the world."
On December 16, 2000, the CPO, conducted by Yu Long, held a grand debut in Beijing with great success. In the first half-year of its establishment, the orchestra presented a large number of concerts featuring masterpieces of Chinese and foreign composers.

In the six months after its birth, the CPO held many concerts, staging a large number of Chinese and foreign symphony masterpieces. In line with standard world practice, the CPO finds its players by engaging outstanding musicians from China and other parts of the world. The CPO's unswerving commitment to quality means that it now ranks among the largest and most promising orchestras in Asia.

The orchestra's seasons are planned to establish extensive collaborative relationships with world-famous conductors and soloists. The orchestra's first season ran from September 2001 to July 2002, offering a rich repertoire of works from different periods and styles. Among the highlights was the world premiere of the Philip Glass Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, and performances of Gustav Mahler's Das lied von der Erde, Hector Berlioz's La Damnation de Foust, and Du Mingxin's Symphonic Peking Opera Female Generals from Yang Family, composed especially for the CPO. Among its 2002-2003 season's highlights are the historic PRC premiere of one of the largest works in orchestra literature -- Mahler's "Symphony No.8" and "Symphony of a Thousand," featuring musicians under the inspiring lead of maestro Yu Long, and "the Immortal Beethoven" series with all of the composer's symphonies and concertos. The 2003-2004 season will see the completion of the orchestra's Mahler symphony cycle that stretches throughout the three seasons. In 2004, the CPO will honor the anniversary of Dvorak's death with performances of his Stabat Mater and major orchestra works.

The CPO attracted attention from overseas soon after its first performance. In September 2001, it toured Taipei, Hsinchu, Raichung and Kaaohsiung, the major cities in Taiwan. At the invitation of the Casals Festival, the CPO visited San Juan and Puerto Rico in June 2002. The two performances, conducted respectively by Long Yu and Krzysztof Penderecki, its principal guest conductor, proved to be a great success and a major event at the festival. Equally impressive were the two concerts that the CPO staged in Cupatina and Los Angeles, United States, following its Puerto Rico tour. In September 2002, the CPO made a successful tour of Japan and Korea. In 2003, it will embark on its first European tour, appearing at Palais Garnier, Paris, France, the National Opera in Warsaw, Poland and the Grober Musikvereinssaal in Vienna.

The CPO has collaborated with many renowned musicians, including Mikhail Pletnev, Anatal Ugorski, Gerhad Oppitz, Yundi li, Lang Lang, Itzhak Perlman, Kyako Takezawa, Cho-Liang Lin, Xue Wei, Gehord Poulet, Jian Wang, Julian Lloyd Webber, Placido Domingo, Cheryl Studer, Changyong Liao, Sergiu Comissiona, Okko Kamu, Klaus Weise, Muhai Tang, Lan Shui and En Shao.

The orchestra has also recorded two compact discs for Deutsche Grammophon under Yu Long's direction, one of Wanger's "Tannhauser Overture" and the Schoenberg orchestration of Brahms' "Piano Quarter in G Minor," the other of Chinese orchestra works.

The CPO's performances are highly acclaimed by musical circles, the mass media and numerous music lovers. The orchestra has become a first-class symphonic orchestra in both China and Asia.
-- Yu Long: A Man of Artistic Distinction

As a Chinese conductor of international prestige, Yu Long has visited such places as Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao.

He has conducted at many venues, including the Hamburg State Opera, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig, the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, the Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Le Theatre de Nice and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The highlights of Yu's international career also include his successful cooperation with some world-class musicians, namely, Mikhail Pletnev, Frank Peter Zimmerman, Matt Haimovitz, Charles Neidich and Tiziana Fabbricini. Displaying his special strengths in such operatic productions as La Traviata, Turandot, Aida, Carmen, Lucia di Lammemore, Romeo and Juliet, and Don Pasguale, Yu has developed a repertoire covering works of different periods and forms over the years. His profound interpretation and unique style have won him extensive acclaim and international stature.

Yu was born into a family of musicians in Shanghai in 1964. He received his early childhood musical education from his grandfather, Ding Shande, a greatly renowned composer, who prepared him for the rigorous formal education he was to receive at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin. Talent, hard work and direct guidance from first-rate educators and conductors in both China and Germany are the major contributing factors to Yu's current success.

Yu's professional experience and achievements inside China are twofold, administrative and artistic. In 1992, he was appointed as a principal guest conductor at the Central Opera Theater in Beijing. That same year, he was involved in the initiation of the Beijing New Year's Concert and served as the conductor for three successive years. In 1998, Yu helped initiate the Beijing Music Festival and was appointed as its artistic director. His remarkable administrative skills and artistic caliber have played a pivotal role in making the festival one of the most significant musical events in history. While helping promote music in China and its international exchange, Yu has also earned himself general recognition.

Equally impressive are Yu's achievements in conducting. In 1998 he conducted Verdi's Requiem and, in 2000, Orff's Carmina Burana by the China National Symphony Orchestra and its affiliated chorus. In 1999, the Music Accompanied Recital of Tang and Song Dynasty Poetry and the Concert Commemorating the Bi-centenary of Pushkin's Birth, both conducted by Yu, proved to be among the most significant events in China.

Yu has also helped found the China Philharmonic Orchestra and has been appointed as its first artistic director. As an artist and administrator of vision, Yu makes it his mission to help develop the orchestra through extensive cooperations with top musicians all over the world into an institution of high professional stature that will show the world the best of China's symphonic works and offer people high quality performances from various periods, composers and forms in the history of western music. On December 16, 2000, Yu conducted the premiere concert of the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, which was a great success.

Yu's other achievements include the NAXO production of Korngold's Violin Concerto and Ding Shande's Long March Symphony by the Slovak Radio Orchestra. In November 2000, under his baton, the newly founded China Philharmonic Orchestra cooperated with DG in the production of two CDs: one of Wagner's Overture to Tannh & auml; user and Brahms' Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25 (orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg), and the other of some highlights of Symphonic music.