Music captures the spirit of Wuhan

On Nov 3, the piece was staged again by the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of its artistic director, Chinese-Singaporean conductor James P. Liu, near the historic landmark, the Yellow Crane Tower, in Wuhan. The composers have rearranged the piece by adding sounds of Chinese bianzhong (chime bells), which is one of the most famous symbols of Hubei province. A set of 65 bronze chime bells, which dates back 2,400 years to the time of Marquis Yi of the Zeng state, is housed in the Hubei Provincial Museum.

"It was very emotional for people in Wuhan to review the year of 2020. Music has the power to heal. When the melody of the piece, Reborn From the Fire, was played out by the orchestra, many of the audience were touched and even cried," says Zhang.

The Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1993, performed its first post-lockdown live concert on July 3, to a 30 percent capacity Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall. The Symphony No 3 in E-flat major (Op 55), also known as Hero, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was performed by the orchestra, as 2020 also marked the 250th anniversary of the German composer's birth.

During the days without live concerts, the orchestra kept in touch with its audience by offering online content, such as musicians performing from home. From May to June, the orchestra staged six online concerts with its first concert, which was held on May 28, attracting more than 90 million viewers.