Jin Xiang - Nanjing Lament, Symphonic Chorus op. 61 (2007)

The cantata Nanjing Lament was originally composed for piano, alto and chorus when commissioned for the sixtieth anniversary of the occupation of the city of Nanjing by the Japanese. That original version had its premiere at a Concert for Peace on December 7, 1997 at Carnegie Hall in New York. The Chinese National Symphony commissioned Jin to rewrite the cantata for full orchestra. The new version was scored for orchestra, pipa, dizi, children's chorus and regular chorus. It is this version that is presented here.
For more than a hundred years, China has been home to a vigorous choral music tradition. As was the case in Meiji Japan, the first large scale introduction of western music came through the media of military bands and hymns taught by the missionaries. By the early 20th century, dozen of song books, had been published. Most of these songs were either western melodies fitted with Chinese texts but an increasing number of original Chinese songs were also being composed.
Throughout the turbulent first decades of the 20th century, choral songs and mass songs took on much more patriotic and nationalist sentiments. In 1938, while stationed at Yan'nan, composer Xian Xinghai wrote what was to become the first masterpiece of China's concert choral tradition, the "Yellow River Cantata." In the decades since Xian's cantata first appeared, a huge number of large scale choral works were composed, however many of these were little more than proletarian potboilers. In contrast, Jin's "Nanjing Lament", while at times a little overwrought and naive, is a sincere musical statement and surprisingly moving. All in all, "Nanjing Lament" is a worthy heir to the Chinese choral tradition founded by Xian Xinghai's "Yellow River Cantata."
Jin Xiang is a renowned Chinese composer, conductor, and music critic whose works have been performed around the world. He composes for both Western and Chinese instruments, combining contemporary Western techniques with an Eastern aesthetic. His award winning compositions range from operas and symphonies to background music for film and TV. His opera "Savage Land" was the first Chinese opera performed by a leading U.S. opera company. Jin is Professor of Composition at the China Conservatory in Beijing.

Tracks:
1. Prelude
2. Killing Field
3. Soul Channeling
4. Moonlight
5. Enlightenment
6. Finale
Total Time: 39'07"