Concert goes online for Spring Festival

The music theater of the Philadelphia Orchestra remains the same, and the tunes－The Butterfly Lovers and Moon Reflected in Two Fountains, are just as familiar.

But the Spartan stage, with musicians sitting apart from one another, separated by what's widely known as '6 feet' of social distance, seems to send out additional echoes for every note coming from the strings of its musicians.

The video footage on the orchestra's official website gives fans a glimpse into its Chinese New Year concert, which is available for streaming through Sunday.

By turning online, the venerable orchestra continued a tradition and a friendship whose seed was first sown when it played in the People's Republic of China in 1973 at the request of president Richard Nixon, becoming the first US orchestra to do so.

In the context of the downward-spiral in the relationship between the US and China, especially during the final year of the administration of former president Donald Trump, the concert serves as a reminder of the transcendent power of art and music.

Prominently featured in the concert's programs are Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women by renowned Chinese American composer Tan Dun.

Nu Shu literally means letters of the women.

Drawing inspiration from the cryptic language adopted and preserved solely by female members of a local society in Central China's Hunan province, the composition evokes history, tradition, sisterly bondage, and the unique role played by women.

The rendition is touted as a never-before-seen recording of the emotionally laden and culturally imbued piece.

"Time moves on. Seasons come and go. But we are here to celebrate the Lunar New Year, with our spirit, our love, nature, music, and all of you," Tan said in a message to music lovers.

Under pandemic shadow

With more than 468,000 people dead of COVID-19 in the US, and nearly 2.34 million having succumbed around the world, the celebration is somber.

This is seen in the inclusion of Moon Reflected in Two Fountains, a sorrowful and soulful tune believed to have first been played by a blind itinerant musician in the first half of the 20th century. The tune is as much about personal suffering as about rising above it.

Wearing the same black mask as his fellow musicians, with the letter P for Philadelphia printed on it, Gil Shaham reinterpreted The Butterfly Lovers for the concert.

Based on an ancient Chinese story of thwarted love, the piece is written for a violin.

It is considered iconic and experimental for bringing the deepest and subtlest Chinese sensibilities to bear on the Western musical instrument.

"It is the perfect piece to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. It celebrates ancient Chinese tradition and it symbolizes rebirth," Tan said.

Tickets to the concert are also available for purchase in China.