The Detroit Symphony Orchestra rehearses at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit for their performance of Ye Xiaogang's "The Song of the Earth" at Lincoln Center in New York this weekend. Kelly Chung Dawson / China Daily

In 1908, the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler wrote "The Song of the Earth," an orchestral piece inspired by his reading of Hans Bethge's then recently published volume of translated Tang Dynasty-era Chinese poetry, "The Chinese Flute." Working from French and German translations, Bethge's work was already itself a loose interpretation of the original poems. Over a century later, the Chinese composer Xiaogang Ye has written his own "The Song of the Earth," inspired by the same poems but interpreted and presented without the filters of French and German translation.

That work will be performed this weekend by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York, in "The Songs of the Earth," the first full US concert of symphonic works by a single Chinese composer. Also included will be his 1993 piece "Last Paradise" and the more recent "Twilight of the Himalayas," which will have its world premiere in this weekend's concert.

"I wrote this music because I was inspired by Mahler and I knew that I could do this too, but from a pure and original Chinese perspective," Ye said. "This concert is very special for me, because I'm excited for people in the West to know more of Chinese culture and what we can do. People often misunderstand Chinese culture, but I am not Jackie Chan, and I'm not a monkey on a Journey to the West."

Led by Yale- and Juilliard-trained maestro Yongyan Hu, the performance will feature baritone Chen-Ye Yuan, zheng player Ji Wei, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, boy soprano Liu Shen, Canadian soprano Maesha Brueggergosman and the New York Choral Society. Parts of this work have been performed in Avery Hall previously, in 2005 and 2013.

Ye is the vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music and a member of the legendary "Class of 1978," a graduating class that has produced renowned musicians and composers including Zhou Long, Tan Dun and Chen Yi. His work "Starry Sky" was performed by the pianist Lang Lang at the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony in a broadcast seen by three billion people. In 2012, he received the Guggenheim Fellowship, through which he produced "Twilight of the Himalayas."

"Xiaogang's music stands apart from other composers for the uniqueness and beauty of his writing, and the moods through which he communicates his heritage," said Erik Ronmark, general manager of DSO. "It's beautiful music to listen to and be a part of."

"Songs of the Earth" is the first of four China-related programs hosted by the DS O in the coming month. On September 28, pianist Lang Lang will perform Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto with the orchestra in a home concert that will be broadcast on the Web; on the weekend of Oct 4, violinist Gil Shaham will present Bright Sheng's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, among other pieces; and on the weekend of Oct 11, pianist Conrad Tao will perform Tchaikovsky's Fifth.

For an orchestra that in 1929 was the first to broadcast a live performance by radio, the drive for forward-thinking programming is an extension of a long history of curiosity and openness, said Paul Hogle, executive vice-president of DSO.

In the early 20th century, Detroit's role at the center of industry drew immigrants of all backgrounds to the city and created a cultural mix that spawned forerunners in Motown, jazz and other genres, Ronmark noted. In recent decades, the city has been better known for its decline. In July, Detroit filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy, making it the largest city by population to ever do so in the US. The prestigious city-owned Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) is also in the midst of fighting the possibility that it will be made to sell some of its 60,000-piece art collection to pay off city debts.

But individuals and organizations like DSO have driven the city forward, Hogle said. This weekend's performance of "Songs of the Earth" was spearheaded by Haixin Wu, a Chinese violinist who has been with DSO for 18 years and maintains friendships with Ye and maestro Hu. He was instrumental in linking the orchestra with the composer, in a move that typifies the city's resourcefulness.

"That's very Detroit," Hogle said. "We want to be the most accessible orchestra on the planet, and this is how we're resurrecting ourselves: Everybody participates, and everyone has a role to play. We have innovation and exploration in our DNA. We are not going to let our own families and businesses or the DSO die on our watch; we'll all do our parts to keep our eyes to the future, which now very much includes China."

Conductor Hu, who has known Ye since their student days and is dean of China's Orchestra Academy at the Central Conservatory of Music, said that while American audiences have admired novelty Chinese acts like acrobatics, they would in most cases never hope for their children to become Chinese acrobats. Music is one of the few ways in which true connection has been fostered between cultures.

"Good music is good music," he said. "We don't aim to represent Chinese music in America, because like the saying goes, there's no music until there's people. Our goal is only connection, and we're grateful to DSO for giving us the chance to make that happen."

kdawson@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 09/20/2013 page11)