Pearl, the gold medal conductor who won the laurel _ won the laurel.

On June 5438+065438+ 10, 2006, Yang Yang, a young conductor from China, won the first prize in the 2006 International Conductor Competition held in Greece, becoming the first conductor from China in the history of the international competition. This is no small miracle, and its significance is breakthrough, which shows that China's command art and command talents have approached and reached the advanced level in the world, and Yang Yang has won this precious gold medal.

Mitropoulos International Conductor Competition is a worldwide competition, which is as famous as Bezanzong Conductor Competition, karajan Conductor Competition and Serge serge koussevitzky Conductor Competition. It belongs to the top level in the world (this competition is a composition competition in odd years and a command competition in even years). This competition is based on the great Greek conductor Dmitry? Named after Mitropoulos, it is an important event that many young conductors in the world yearn for, because which one of them won the laurel, thus winning a supreme honor in the world command circle. Yang Yang won the first place with absolute advantage (one of the three finalists was the first, two tied for the third place, and the second place was vacant), which not only easily put on the crown of the contest, but also won the bright pearl in the crown.

Extraordinary road to growth

Yang Yang was born into a musical family. He played the piano in elementary school, and he is very aura in music. 12 years old, admitted to the middle school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music, and studied under the famous piano professor Li Qifang. Under the guidance of famous teachers, Yang Yang's professional skills have been rapidly improved. He is only 13 years old. He won the prize in the first Xinghai Piano Competition held in Beijing that year and was considered as a promising piano rookie. However, when people expected him to show his talent in piano performance, he became interested in conducting. Yang Yangxue's conductor also had to mention his classmate Liu Ju (the son of Erhu player Min Huifen), who kept instilling the names of karajan, Bernstein and other conductor masters in Yang Yang's ear. According to Liu Ju's recommendation, Yang Yang began to listen to Mahler's first symphony conducted by Bernstein with headphones every day, and became fascinated (Bernstein is Yang Yang's most admired idol). During the period of music attached middle school, Yang Yang began to study conducting with two professors, Xin Xu and Wu Lingfen. 1996, the once-favored piano genius was admitted to the conductor department of the Central Conservatory of Music with excellent results and officially switched to conductor. Yang Yang once said that three people named Yǘ helped him greatly in his artistic growth. The first one is Professor Ryan, who was the main subject teacher when he was studying in the Command Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. After winning this competition, he said in an interview with me that it was Mr. Ryan who laid a solid professional foundation for him, which enabled him to obtain correct, delicate and exquisite command methods and benefited him a lot in his life. After winning this competition, he confirmed the scientificity and practicability of Professor Ryan's teaching method from practice. That is to say, Professor Ryan gave Yang Yang a comprehensive, systematic and targeted teaching during his four years in the Department of Command of the Conservatory of Music. He taught Yang Yang how to analyze his works from the perspective of a conductor, and how to interpret his works with his own command chart. These are all clear to Yang Yang, who is holding a golden cup now.

The second is Yǘ, who is the most influential and pioneering conductor and music activist in China's symphonic music scene. With his insight and generosity, he provided vital and necessary help for Yang Yang's success. In 2000, Yang Yang, who just graduated from the Conductor Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, was hired as an assistant conductor by the newly established China Philharmonic Orchestra. With the help of Yu Long, Yang Yang was able to play in the best orchestra in China. In the past five years, he has often performed in regular concerts of China Philharmonic Orchestra and several concerts of Beijing Music Festival, conducted many important symphony and opera performances, and accumulated rich repertoire and performance experience. During his several years in China Philharmonic Orchestra, Yang Yang's professional skills have been rapidly improved, and his popularity has begun to spread all over the country. He said that Yu Long gave him too many opportunities to take the lead in practice. If not, he can't be so confident about the game. After winning the prize, he sincerely thanked the second teacher, Yǘ.

The third person named Yǘ is Yu Qikeng, the head of Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. He is also an discerning Bole. President Yu is open-minded and diligent. He took a fancy to Yang Yang's potential and was willing to help him build this new conductor. Since then, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra has become the base for Yang Yang to display his talents and artistic practice. The long-term cooperation between them has brought great benefits for Yang Yang to be familiar with the styles of different orchestras and broaden his artistic horizons. After winning the prize, Yang Yang also expressed his heartfelt thanks when talking about the head of the delegation.

As a very active young conductor, Yang Yang has rich artistic experience in recent years. He has not only conducted famous domestic orchestras such as China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Central Opera Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra, but also conducted German Rhine National Symphony Orchestra, French Cannes Symphony Orchestra and Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra. Xia Lang Symphony Orchestra, Greek Colorful Symphony Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra and other world-renowned orchestras, and cooperated with Augustine? Dumay, sabina? Meyer, Leonard? Kappson, Alben? Gerhard, Bai and other internationally renowned soloists have cooperated and won wide recognition and praise.

China storm in Athens

In 2006, the Mitropoulos International Conductor Competition was as strong as a cloud. Through the global regional selection, * * * sixteen contestants went to Athens to enter the finals, and Yang Yang was one of them. The first round of this competition is: excerpts from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, excerpts from Stravinsky's The Story of Soldiers, and excerpts from Debussy's Afternoon Prelude to the God of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. The second and third rounds are: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Egmont Overture, Schubert's Eighth Symphony, Brahms' Third Symphony, excerpts from prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet and five new dance pieces created by Greek composers.

Yang Yang successfully passed the first round, with impeccable technical performance and music handling. When talking about conducting the selection of Mozart's "Magic Flute", he told me that it was a very difficult recitation, and it was chosen to test whether the contestants could master opera music, master breathing, elastic rhythm and other essentials. To his delight, this famous recitation was taught by Professor Ryan himself in his freshman year. After giving the order easily, Yangyang felt a deep gratitude to the teacher involuntarily.

When conducting Beethoven's Egmont Overture in the second round, Yang Yang's rich experience in conducting bands helped him a lot. There is a famous difficulty in the speed conversion of this song, that is, for some great conductors, it may not give the cloven foot here. Yang Yang has conducted this work many times in domestic concerts, and he has mastered its technical difficulties very skillfully. With a wave of his hand, he was complete and correct. Compared with other players, this one is far beyond.

When conducting Debussy's The Sea in the third round, Yang Yang's excellent sense of color and keen deployment were fully exerted. From this, he and I talked about another topic: In August 2006, Yang Yang went to Korea for two weeks' training and further study at the invitation of a master class run by South Korean conductor Zheng Mingxun. In Yang Yang's own words, this is an extremely important two weeks in his life. In his contact with Zheng Mingxun, he really realized the magic of a great conductor. Zheng Mingxun attaches great importance to Yang Yang and treats him differently from other students. He personally watched Yang Yang's rehearsal and told him how to master the colors of the band and how to adjust the level changes of the band's texture. Zheng Mingxun's inspiration opened Yang Yang's eyes. Since then, he has a different feeling in rehearsal, performance, listening to music and even reading the score. It's like going deep into the inner layer of music. With the encounter with the master in August, Yang Yang stood on the podium as cool as a cucumber. Debussy's "The Sea" has never had such a beautiful voice in his hands, and the overall situation of Yang Yang's success has been set.

On June 5438+065438+ 10, 2006, the China Storm broke out in Athens, just like the gold rush of China athletes in the 2004 Olympic Games. Today's Mitropoulos International Command Competition belongs to Yang Yang, a young man from China, who also created another frenzy in this place with profound cultural background. When the chairman of the jury announced the winners, two female contestants (one from Germany and one from Greece) tied for third place. At this time, Yang Yang, who was standing in the audience, couldn't help wondering if he was the second and the first was vacant. While thinking, the jury chairman slowed his tone. He said, "I don't want to say that everyone already knows the first candidate in this competition. He is Yang Yang from China." As soon as the voice fell, the audience suddenly burst into applause and cheers. At this time, Yang Yang was relieved, and then he accepted people's congratulations and praises with confidence.

The fruit of genius and hard work

For job seekers, winning the competition is undoubtedly a symbol of success. Yang Yang's achievements this time can be described as brilliant, but this brilliance is saturated with his genius and diligence. Yang Yang lived in Guangxi with his parents when he was a child. In that area where music art is underdeveloped, he often shows the spark of musical inspiration. He has been listening to records at home since childhood. His parents instilled works of great composers such as Beethoven and Mozart into him from those old records, and Yang Yang really lived up to expectations. Most of the music he heard can be firmly memorized in his mind. On one occasion, the Music Department of Guangxi Arts University played Beethoven's Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) in a music appreciation class. Young Yang Yang listened to her mother. Listening, he found something was wrong and said to his mother, "You should tell your uncle who played the record that it should be the third movement of the symphony now, but not the music of the third movement." My mother used to tell the staff that they would check it. At this point, Yang Yang's sensitive music aura and super memory spread among people.

Yang Yang is not only talented in music, but also famous for his spirit of hard work. When studying in the Conservatory of Music, he often used his spare time as a keyboard player in the China Symphony Orchestra and other units. With the performance of the concert, he gradually realized the inner mystery of the music structure and accumulated unique practical performance experience as a performer, which the command post lacked. From 2000 to 2005, Yang Yang served as assistant conductor in China Philharmonic Orchestra. During this period, he was always present at the rehearsal performance of every famous conductor invited from abroad. He used this occasion to observe and study, which increased his knowledge in art and liked Aoke? Cam Cratz. Visser, the master of training band, is the object that Yang Yang pursues tirelessly. He carefully observed the rehearsals of the masters and learned a lot of practical skills from them.

Since graduating from the Conservatory of Music, Yang Yang has conducted a considerable number of symphonies and operas. Only the masterpieces I have heard and written are Mahler's Third Symphony, Saint-Sang's Third Symphony, Brahms' Third Symphony, Foley's symphonies Pereas and Merisander. People still remember that at the Beijing Music Festival in 2003, he conducted the premiere of composer Guo Wenjing's opera "The Banquet" and "Diary of a Madman", and the response was unprecedented at that time. In addition, he also conducted the American composer Jane? Shapley's Zheng Concerto, Japanese composer Miki's Pipa Concerto and ballet The Nutcracker (China Edition) premiered in Macau.

Today, Yang Yang has become very mature in all aspects and has gradually become independent in art. In this competition, he didn't rely on anyone's help. He downloaded materials from the Internet, sent recordings to the jury, went through the formalities of going abroad, and went to the competition alone. He did everything by himself. He began to be independent not only in his artistic career, but also in his life journey. After winning the prize, many famous foreign music agents found him and offered to arrange important performances around the world for him. With the continuous arrival of the signing contract, an international and professional conductor career is waiting for this emerging conductor.

Viola player Jing Zuoren of the Central Opera House

(Editor Alina Zhang)