The music installation Photo: Courtesy of SSO


The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Photo: Courtesy of SSO

China's Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) kicked off a national tour celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Thursday. 

The century-old renowned orchestra will tour to famed revolutionary sites in major cities such as Wuhan and Hangzhou to perform classic songs such as "Ode to the Red Flag," "Story of the Spring" and "Ode to Yan'an" in addition to four newly commissioned works. 

Four Chinese composers in their late 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s were commissioned to write these works to mark the 100th anniversary of the CPC. 

The four new pieces are "Ode to China" from Yu Yang, "Our Fathers" from Yang Fan, Jia Daqun's "Waves of Emotions" and Hao Weiya's "Believe in the Future." 

According to representatives of the orchestra, these pieces feature strong and mature Chinese musical styles that have been mixed with Western music techniques to deliver the Chinese musicians' idealism and feelings toward their homeland.  

Yu said it was a "big challenge to represent this historical topic, which requires more knowledge about history and more thinking about humanity." In addition to live performance, the orchestra has also opened up a music installation exhibition at the NCPA so that visitors may interact and listen to famous pieces of music from decades ago.