情系交响——记指挥大师韩中杰

A Passion for Symphony:Notes on the Great Conductor Han Zhongjie

人们通常以为怀旧令人感伤，然而耄耋之年的韩中杰先生回首往事时，却满怀深情地说：“当年冲破了重重困难，走上了音乐的道路，对此至今不悔!”历史表明，这一幸运的选择，对于他个人乃至中国现代音乐表演艺术史都有着深远的意义与影响。

A man usually feels sentimental when recalling his past.But the 90-year-old Han Zhongjie was nevertheless excited and proud when he looked back what had happened in the past.'I never regret the music road I chose when we overcame all the difficulties in those years,' he said.History tells that this lucky choice has had far-reaching effects on himself as well as on the history of contemporary Chinese music performance.Han Zhongjie was born on November 29,1920 into a worker's family.He went to school in 1926,and loved music since his childhood.He was good at singing,and playing harmonica and flute.He was excellent at maths,physics and chemistry,and was ranked the first in the subject of English among the whole grade(three classes).Due to their financial difficulty,however,his family did not understand or sympathize with him in spite of his intention to study music.To them,music learners had no future,and might only become a travelling performer for ceremonies or special occasions.Regardless of his family's threat to cut out his living expenses,he resolutely entered the Shanghai National Music College in 1937 to be an undergraduate student in the major of flute,studyingwith the then Shanghai Municipal Committee Band's principal flutist Pecheniuk.In 1954,Han Zhongjie made his first stage appearance in a concert in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dvorak's death in the Chinese capital city Beijing where he conducted Dvorak's 'Carnival Overture'.In 1956,the Central Symphony Orchestra was founded.In the second year,Han Zhongjie went to the Soviet Union to study as a postgraduate student at the Conducting Department of Leningrad Conservatory of Music,majoring in symphony and opera conducting.In 1961,he returned to China upon graduation,and worked as conductor simultaneously with the Central Opera Theatre and the Central Symphony Orchestra.Besides,he taught conducting at the Conducting Department of the Central Conservatory of Music.On July 27,1962,Han Zhongjie conducted the Central Opera Theatre's premier performance of Tchaikovsky's opera 'Eugene Onegin',a milestone show that symbolizes the highest professional level the Chinese opera art had reached.Han Zhongjie is also a great conductor of symphonic concerts.Under his baton,the Central Symphony Orchestra had presented since 1961 the China premieres of Berlioz's 'Fantasy Symphony',Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.1 and Kalinnikov's Symphony No.1.In 1963,he led the orchestra on a national concert tour in such places as Wuhan,Zhengzhou,Xi'an and Sichuan.In addition,he spared no effort in promoting Chinese symphonic works.For this purpose,he has conducted a total of 169 concerts of Chinese symphonic works,which proves the outstanding contribution he has made to Chinese music.The founding and growth of the Central Symphony Orchestra(today's China National Symphony Orchestra),which is the most influential music performing group in China,owed so much to the great efforts of Han Zhongjie.As a music educator,he has taught numerous professionals in the fields of conducting,flute and solfeggio,many of whom are now the elite of Chinese music circle.Among his former students are today's conductors Chen Zuohuang,Shao En,Liu Yubao,Li Huade,Shi Weimin,Sang Yesong,Cheng Shouchang and Wang Lingling(his last disciple).Han is also highly enthusiastic for popularizing and promoting symphony in China.For many years,under his guidance and teaching,youth orchestras from the Renmin University's Affiliated Middle School,No.11 Middle School and Ritan Middle School have been growing with tremendous achievements.Some of the students in the orchestras later became music professionals,joining in the major force in Chinese symphony performing groups.This year,the 90th birthday of Han Zhongjie will be celebrated.On November 27,he will appear on stage again to conduct the China National Symphony Orchestra's concert,which will be followed by a seminar on the conducting art of Han Zhongjie.This will be a good occasion to review and summarize the history of 60 years' symphony performances in China,so as to promote the development of Chinese symphonic music to an even higher level.