Fang Sheng
Jul 26, 2024
Tribute Concert for the 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Aaron Avshalomov.
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has just announced its 2024-2025 season, marking the 145th anniversary of the orchestra. Among the 83 high profile programs covering symphony, opera, chamber music and cross-genre performances, one special presentation is for commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Russian Jewish composer Aaron Avshalomov.
Aaron Avshalomov is considered an influential composer in China. His musical works, including several ballets, two operas, a violin concerto, four symphonies and a flute concerto, are mostly based on Chinese themes. He was the first composer who arranged the orchestral version of the March of the Volunteers (义勇军进行曲), a famous military song during the War Against Japan (WWII) and later the National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China.
Avshalomov was born in 1894 in a Caucasus Jewish family in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur (Chinese name Miaojie – 庙街), in the Russian Far East, by the Heilong River. Ceded to Russia in 1858, the town had a majority of Chinese population. Little Aaron grew up surrounded by Chinese language and culture. His family servant was an older Chinese man, who often took Aaron to Chinese operas, even taught him some of the arias. Such exposure to Chinese music, theatre and dance sow the seeds for his life-long musical pursuit.
In 1910, he went to Switzerland to study medicine, but soon switched to music. His aspiration was to incorporate European composition techniques with Chinese musical idioms and elements.
In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution interrupted his studies in Switzerland, and Aaron moved to the U.S. In San Francisco, he married a fellow Russian immigrant. But in less than a year, he returned to China in 1918.
After returning to China, he first made a living in the fur trade in northern China. During his business travels, he collected a vast amount of traditional northern Chinese music materials. He also made acquaintances with famous Chinese artists such as Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (梅兰芳), Pipa master Wei Zhongle (卫仲乐), and music scholar Shen Zhibai (沈知白), etc.
In 1925, Avshalomov composed his first opera Kuan Yin (观音, the bodhisattva of compassion), based on ancient Chinese legends and traditional drama melodies. Aaron conducted the premiere in Beijing on April 24, with his sister playing the role of Kuan Yin. The opera was also produced in New York in 1926 and performed for five weeks.
In 1932, Avshalomov moved to Shanghai, embarking on his career as a professional musician. He first began working as a conductor at Pathé Records, later also became the Head Librarian of the Shanghai Municipal Library, a position that allowed him to focus on his music creation. He closely associated with leftist musicians like Nie Er (聂耳), Ren Guang (任光), Xian Xinghai (冼星海), and He Luting (贺绿汀), and created numerous music pieces infused with Chinese national elements and styles.
In 1935, at Pathé Records' studio on Avenue Pétain (today’s Hengshan Road – 衡山路), in the French Concession of Shanghai, Avshalomov conducted a small orchestra and choir (joined by a number of prominent Chinese musicians and artists, Sheng Jialun 盛家伦, Situ Huimin 司徒慧敏, Zheng Junli 郑君里, Jin Shan 金山, Yuan Muzhi 袁牧之, Gu Menghe 顾梦鹤, etc.) and recorded his orchestration of March of the Volunteers, originally composed by Nie Er for the film Children of Trouble Times (风云儿女). Unbeknownst to him, this popular anti-aggression song would become the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China decades later.
From 1933 to 1941, Avshalomov took eight years to compose The Great Wall, an opera based on the legend of Lady Meng Jiang (Meng Jiangnu 孟姜女), a woman who defies the autocratic Qin Shihuang – the first emperor of China.
In 1948, he went to the United States to promote the opera The Great Wall. He never returned to China since. Avshalomov passed away in New York in 1965. His son Jacob Avshalomov and grandson David Avshalomov are both classical musicians.
Aaron Avshalomov guest-conducted the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra (Shanghai Symphony) from 1945 to 1946. He premiered with the orchestra his symphonic poem Peking Hutong, and Piano Concerto in G Major. In 2017, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performed Peking Hutong at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, led by music director Yu Long (余隆). This was a special performance of this piece in a place where Avshalomov studied and lived almost a hundred years ago.
The 130th Anniversary Commemoration Concert will be held on September 12, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. at the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall. The program will feature Aaron’s symphonic poem “Peking Hutong”, Violin Concerto, and Symphony No. 2 in E minor. The violin solo will be concertmaster Ms. Liu Ming. David Avshalomov, Aaron Avshalomov’s grandson, will conduct the concert.
For details about the concert and purchasing tickets, please visit the EVENTS section for more information and link.
* Photo courtesy of the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall website
** This author adds web links to resources such as Wikipedia, as deemed necessary to help readers understand the backgrounds of specific historical events. The author does not endorse nor guarantee the accuracy of such sources of information.