Dinner with Yongyan Hu
Maverick conductor and composer
Maestro Yongyan Hu is an American Chinese conductor and Artistic Director of the Anhui Orchestra. There has been extensive and intense coverage on his engagements with Anhui Orchestra here since last July.
Over dinner yesterday we talked about his upcoming concert in Shenyang on 24 July where he is going to conductor Mahler Symphony No. 6 with the combined forces of three orchestras from Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces.
He is also working on a plan to revive Dream of the Red Chamber, a six-movement symphonic fantasy he composed together with two other fellow composers Yu Yang and Liu Li. The work received its world premiere on 15 November 2020 at the Shanghai Symphony Hall during Covid-19 pandemic with Hu conducting the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, a large chorus and several soloists.
Inspired by Yue opera of the same title, the fantasy was premiered commemorating the centennial of Yue opera master Xu Yulan. Hu’s plan is to revive the work and make a studio recording aiming for the Grammy.
Nice chat!