Classical music fans in Toronto are blessed with a good choice of concerts celebrating the New Year — Bravissimo and Salute to Vienna readily come to mind. The Li Delun Music Foundation’s East-Meets-West New Year’s Concert, though lesser-known to many Torontonians, has been an almost-annual tradition for over ten years and is no less spectacular.
First, some background: Maestro Li Delun (1917–2001) was the founding conductor of the first professional symphony orchestra of the People’s Republic of China, and he devoted his life to promoting classical music in communist China. One of his most famous collaborations was with renowned violinist Isaac Stern, the first American musician invited to play with the China Central Symphony Society (now the China National Symphony Orchestra). This venture was captured in the 1979 documentary From Mao to Mozart, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Despite the obligatory speeches, sponsor acknowledgements, comedic banter, and even magic tricks stretching the evening to almost three hours, there were still two solid hours of music, featuring a mixed programme of Chinese and classical works performed by the Toronto Festival Orchestra and three world-class soloists.
The 60-strong orchestra is technically a pickup ensemble assembled yearly for this occasion, with musicians young and old (both in age and in years in Canada) playing side by side. The diversity of the group was highlighted when members wished the audience “Happy New Year” in 12 different languages. For an ensemble that only performs once a year, the calibre is remarkably high. This year’s concert was conducted by Lihua Tan, Chief Conductor of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.
The concert opened with “Wild Dance of the Golden Snake,” a joyful, spirited work composed by Nie Er — who famously wrote the Chinese national anthem. Inspired by Chinese mythology and folk music, this 1934 piece was originally written for traditional Chinese instruments and later arranged for western symphony orchestra. Here, the orchestra captured the transformation of the dancing golden snake with gusto — an especially fitting piece to ring in the new year, as 2025 ushers in the Year of the Snake.
The rest of the orchestral performances were equally thrilling. They included two pieces by Johann Strauss II: the “Voices of Spring” Waltz, a Viennese New Year staple evoking the vitality of the season, and the lively polka “Unter Donner und Blitz.” Under Tan’s precise baton, the fourth and final movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (Allegro con fuoco) blazed with energy, and the orchestra rendered the allegro passages in impressive unison. As a final encore, a guest conductor led the orchestra in Strauss Sr.’s rousing “Radetsky March.”
It is impossible to choose just one favourite act from this concert; for me, there were three highlights. First, I was most excited to hear Ryan Wang, the 17-year-old piano prodigy from Vancouver and winner of the BBC Young Musician 2024 award. This was just the latest in his long list of accolades, including the Prix Cortot. Although I have watched many YouTube videos of Ryan playing through the years (since his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at age five), seeing him live was simply magical and soul-stirring. His performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor was technically flawless, with an uncanny lightness in the allegro passages. Yet it was his mature interpretation and unpretentious elegance that were most striking, especially for someone so young. Drawing thunderous applause, he delighted the audience with an encore: a playful, jazzy arrangement of Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” showcasing a different—but equally superb — aspect of his artistry. This talented young man has a limitless future.
The second highlight was “The Sound of Pamir” Clarinet Concerto by Chinese composer Hu Bijing, who sadly passed away a month ago. Most of the audience, myself included, was hearing this piece for the first time, and I was blown away by its sweeping melodies and rich instrumentation, especially the exotic percussion effects. Even without the programme notes, the unmistakable imagery of camel caravans crossing a vast desert along the Silk Road came to mind in the first movement. The second (Adagio) movement was a heartfelt love song filled with longing. The third (Allegro) movement evoked a Tajik wedding celebration in an unusual 7/8 time; I could practically hear the galloping of horses. Soloist YaoGuang Zhai — Principal Clarinet of the Baltimore Symphony — is a delightful performer, showing remarkable finger dexterity and breath control, from smooth legato lines to crisp staccato bursts.
The other showstopper was Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang, who will be starring as Pinkerton in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Madama Butterfly later this month. He performed two operatic arias with contrasting emotions: “De’ miei bollenti spiriti” from Verdi’s La Traviata and “E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s Tosca. Wang is an expressive and natural performer with a commanding stage presence; his powerful, gorgeous tenor voice has a slight darkness that reminds me of Jonas Kaufmann. The audience simply could not get enough of him, and he graciously rewarded them with an encore of Leoncavallo’s “Mattinata.” It would be a shame not to hear more from him while he is in town for Butterfly.
And it would be a mistake not to make attending the Li Delun New Year’s Concert an annual tradition!
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- SCRUTINY | From the Silk Road to Strauss, Li Delun Dazzles Toronto - January 6, 2025
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