Hartford Symphony Orchestra - Ravel & Debussy - Huang Ruo (Born September 28, 1976 on Hainan Island, China)

Huang Ruo (Born September 28, 1976 on Hainan Island, China)

Folk Songs for Orchestra (2012)

World Premiere: Jan. 2012
Last HSO Performance: HSO Premiere
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet,
bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone tuba, percussion, strings
Duration: 12’

Huang Ruo, whose compositions range from orchestra, chamber music, theater, modern dance and opera (most recently M. Butterfly, based on David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award-winning play) to sound installation, multi-media, experimental improvisation, folk rock and film, was born on September 28, 1976, the year the Chinese Cultural Revolution ended, on Hainan Island, China’s southernmost point, across the Gulf of Tonkin from Hanoi, Vietnam. His father, a well-known composer in China, began teaching him composition and piano when the boy was six. Huang Ruo was admitted at age twelve to the Shanghai Conservatory, where he was trained in both traditional Chinese and western music while also becoming familiar with the many musical idioms flooding into China as the country opened up to the West — Bach, Mozart, Stravinsky, Lutosławski, the Beatles, rock ’n’ roll, heavy metal and jazz were all part of his cultural and creative milieu. After winning the Henry Mancini Award at the 1995 International Film and Music Festival in Switzerland, Huang Ruo moved to the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a master’s and doctorate from Juilliard; his teachers included Samuel Adler, Deng Erbo, Randolph Coleman and Christopher Rouse.

Huang Ruo is currently on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music and a composition advisor for the Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program; he has also taught at the State University of New York at Purchase, and lectured and held residencies at New York University, Columbia University, Aspen Composers’ Forum, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Guangzhou Conservatory of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Georgia and elsewhere. In 2015-2016, he was the first Composer-in-Residence with the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. Huang Ruo edited A Selection of Classic Chinese Folk Songs for Zhong Shan University Press, and also serves as artistic director and conductor of Future In REverse (FIRE), a multi-tasking company to launch special projects, multi-media productions, performances, publishing and recordings. In addition to many national prizes in China, Huang Ruo has received awards and grants from the ASCAP Foundation, Presser Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Argosy Foundation, Greenwall Foundation, Meet The Composer, New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, American Music Center, Aaron Copland Award, Alice M. Ditson Award and Luxembourg International Composition Competition; in 2006 he was selected as a Young Leader Fellow by the National Committee on United States–China Relations.

Of Folk Songs for Orchestra, commissioned in 2012 by the San Francisco Symphony, Huang Ruo wrote, “Folk songs reflect the life, culture, and soul of a civilization.

“I grew up in China and have always had a fondness for Chinese folk songs. China has more than fifty ethnic groups, each with its own culture, traditions, and folk songs. Folk Songs for Orchestra is an ongoing project, starting with this commission from the San Francisco Symphony, in which I plan over the years to compile and set folk tunes from various parts of China into Western orchestral form. The goal is not only to preserve and renew the original folk songs, but also to transform them into new pieces of art that also contain organic originality. I have chosen four of the most well-known Chinese folk songs.

“The first one is the Flower Drum Song from Feng Yang. Almost one hundred different songs are performed in ‘Fengyang Flower Drum,’ which boasts a long history. Known for its flower-drum performances, Fengyang is the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In performances that include singing and dancing in Fengyang County of Anhui Province, ‘Fengyang Flower Drum’ has been passed down over the centuries. In terms of its forms, ‘Fengyang Flower Drum’ can be divided into three parts: Flower Drum Lantern, Flower Drum Play, and Flower Drum Gong. Together, these are entitled ‘Fengyang Flower Drum’ or ‘Three Flowers of Fengyang.’

“The second piece is Love Song from Kang Ding. This tune is one of the most popular Chinese folk songs. Its simple melody and vivid rhythm are easy to remember and sing, and its lyrics tell of a timeless theme — love. This song is
from Sichuan province.

“Little Blue Flower is based on a simple, beautiful timeless folk song from the northern part of Shanxi province. The symphonic version is created as a dialogue and interplay between a solo violin and the orchestra.

“The Girl from Daban City, also known as Carriage Driver’s Song, comes from Xinjiang province and is sung by carriage drivers in Turpan. The lively music shows the enthusiastic and colorful characteristics of Uyghur folk song, reflecting its people’s heartfelt admiration for Xinjiang, the ‘hometown of songs and dances.’