Indian-born composer set to debut work in Beijing

Vijay Upadhyaya will take the baton and lead the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus to premiere his latest composition, Chang'an Men, in Beijing in November. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In his composition, Upadhyaya has created a melody that strictly follows the four tones of the Chinese language, giving the language foremost importance.

"First, I occupied myself deeply with these Chinese ideas and tried to recite them like a Chinese person. Then I had to think of the melody," the composer says.

"We then started the rehearsal and some of the chorus members told me that the work sounded like an old Chinese song. That's what I wanted."

Upadhyaya learned to play the piano in childhood. He also completed diploma studies in Indian percussion (tabla) and dance (kathak) in India.

In 1987, he moved to Austria, where he studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.

He then began conducting a church choir and a brass band in the east of Styria province to finance his studies. In 1994, he moved to Vienna where he now lives and directs the Vienna University Philharmonic.

Upadhyaya likes traveling, which, he says, is "a source of inspiration and energy for my compositions and for me as a whole". So, he has been going to remote valleys in the Himalayas at least once a year for the past 30 years.

After traveling to Southwest China's Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, he plans to launch a project in which he bases his compositions on the music of Chinese ethnic groups.

"I live in two worlds－China and Europe.

"For us, with Asian traditions, we need to use the music techniques of the West to create our own musical identity," he says.

If you go

7:30 pm, Nov 13. Beijing Concert Hall. 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6605-7006.