Chinese classical maestro and renowned conductor Yu Long received a special present to mark his 60th birthday — a complete collection of his recordings on the world's top classical music label Deutsche Grammophon.
▲ Yu Long and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Photo provided to China Daily
Released on Dec 16, the box collection comprises six albums recording Yu's collaboration with the label over the past 25 years, mapping the conductor's footprints as a towering figure steering China's growing connection to classical music on both domestic and international stages."It has been 25 years since the first time I worked with DG. China's classical music scene has been through a 'golden' period of development and witnessed dramatic changes during the 25 years. Chinese music has become so close with the world, and has been presented so frequently with Chinese culture on the global stage. I am very fortunate to have been part of this remarkable historical process," said Yu at a news conference in Shanghai on the same day.Born in 1964 into a Shanghai musical family, Yu was hailed by The New York Times as "the most powerful figure in China's classical music scene", who has been consistently introducing the world's leading classical music and orchestras to China while familiarizing global audiences with the country's most eminent musicians and composers.Globally, Yu has conducted many highly acclaimed orchestras across the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Munich Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.Currently, Yu serves as the artistic director and principal conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the lifetime honorary music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, as well as the principal guest conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also the codirector of Shanghai's Music in the Summer Air festival and chair of the artistic committee of the Beijing Music Festival, an annual autumn event that he founded in 1998 and served as artistic director until 2017. Moreover, he holds the positions of vice-president of the China Musicians Association and chairman of the League of China Orchestras.
▲ Recently turning 60, Yu Long has conducted many of the world's top orchestras and established China as a leading classical force. Photo provided to China Daily
"Yu Long, leading the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the China Philharmonic Orchestra, has created an extraordinary series of live performances and recordings, covering a wide range of repertoire by composers from both the East and the West, from the classical masters to contemporary composers. We are delighted that Universal Music China and DG are able to document these works of art. The release of this box set not only documents the great recordings, but also celebrates maestro Yu's momentous 60th birthday," said DG's president Clemens Trautmann.Kleopatra Sofroniou, DG's general manager classics, was present at the news conference to celebrate the special occasion, along with Timothy Xu, chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Greater China. They awarded the maestro for his outstanding contributions to the global classical music industry during the event.Yu's collaboration with DG dates back to before 2000. With Yu as the artistic director and principal conductor, the China Philharmonic Orchestra was launched in May 2000 and soon captured DG's attention. The two sides decided to record two albums as the newborn orchestra's greetings to the world. It was the first time that the top classical label worked with a Chinese orchestra, becoming a milestone in the development of Chinese orchestras."With his vision, deep insights and serious artistic attitude in these two recordings, Yu showed the direction and laid the foundation for the future development of the China Philharmonic Orchestra. That is, to interpret global classics with exquisite skills on one hand, and to discover and create orchestral music with traditional Chinese cultural and musical elements on the other. In the following two decades, dozens of Chinese orchestras were established in a spurt, and almost all of them followed this direction and won respect worldwide," says Li Nan, president of the China Philharmonic Orchestra.Taking the reins of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 2009, Yu became the first Chinese conductor to sign an exclusive relationship with DG in 2018, offering the orchestra a global release and distribution partnership. This milestone partnership has seen the coproduction of highly acclaimed albums from 2018 to 2024, including Gateways, Orff: Carmina Burana — Live from the Forbidden City, The Song of the Earth, and Emigre, all of which are included in the box set.
▲ A complete recording collection of Yu Long on Deutsche Grammophon. Photo provided to China Daily
"This year marks the 145th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. We have been committed to communicating with the world through music, which means not only bringing more international elements to Shanghai, but also showcasing Chinese music and culture to the whole world … We are expecting deeper and further cooperation with DG in the future," said Zhou Ping, president of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, during the news conference.Sofroniou spoke highly of Yu's efforts and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, saying she was greatly honored and deeply impressed during their partnership.
▲ Yu receives a special award for his contributions at a Shanghai event on Dec 16. Photo provided to China Daily
"Particularly, we much respect Yu's outstanding achievements in shaping his orchestras. He is a storyteller, bringing stories to us and music projects combining the West and the East, which is so original that we have never heard before and belongs to the future of classical (music).We are creating new heritage of classical music together," she says.
