Despite celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) still finds itself fumbling its way "from Mao to Mozart."

Following in the steps of American violinist Isaac Stern's first visit to China in 1979, the world-renowned documentary of that name offered a portrayal of the Chinese symphony's struggle from its birth in 1956 through the tumultuous "cultural revolution" (1966-1976).

The orchestra, then called China Central Symphony Orchestra, was the best and most prestigious of its kind. Under the baton of long-serving leading conductor Li Delun (1917-2002), it joined hands with Stern (1920-2001) during his historic visit.

Twenty years later, despite having to be wheeled onto the stage, Li Delun still retained his magisterial power. He led the CNSO when it once again teamed up with Stern in Beijing to perform Mozart's "Concerto in G."

At that time, Stern remarked that the CNSO had made immense progress in terms of its artistic skills in a span of two decades.

But despite this ongoing progress, and increased media kudos, the orchestra still has to tackle many problems.

Instruments matter

In order to retain its lead in China, where it is now one of many fine orchestras, the CNSO is looking for benchmarks beyond the country's borders.

Guan Xia, president of the CNSO since 2004, used a concert tour of the United States to gather important information about the orchestra's progress.

"Generally speaking, we were rather satisfied with the technique of our orchestra, especially our string section.

"Because we found some of our former classmates and colleagues in renowned orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, we believe the gap between us and the world's first-class orchestras is shortening," he explained.

What has impeded the orchestra from further achievements is partly due to its poor instruments, as a result of a funds shortage.

In the words of Guan, "As far as the instruments are concerned, the gap remains huge."

When the orchestra was founded in 1956, China was still a poverty-stricken country. The national orchestra was equipped with only inexpensive instruments, most of which were made in China or bought from East European countries.

The tale of Zhang Dihe, a retired oboe player from the CNSO, best illustrates the state of affairs.

Zhang was 44 when he had the chance to play alongside the maestro Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) in 1979.

The two-minute oboe solo in "Brahms's Violin Concerto" is considered by professionals as one of the most difficult pieces to play.

"Each time when I played this solo, Menuhin would listen attentively. When the orchestra answered the curtain call at the final performance, he asked me to stand up, saying I had a thorough grasp of the music's driving spirit," Zhang recalled.

"But when he caught my oboe made of plexiglass, he was stunned and asked me whether I had played such an inferior oboe all this time."

Yes, Zhang answered. He had played that oboe for more than 20 years.

Two weeks later, Fou Tsong, Menuhin's former son-in-law, arrived in Beijing, bringing a brand new French oboe, a gift from the maestro for Zhang.

Even now, Zhang still keeps the accompanying letter. "It comes to you with the very best wishes and grateful thanks for a beautiful Braham's concerto," Menuhin wrote.

Today, CNSO musicians are still plagued with a shortage of fine instruments.

"The cheapest violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra costs about US$200,000, but the violin of our first soloist is worth only 100,000 yuan (US$16,560)," Guan said. "Undoubtedly, the difference between the two violins affects artistic expression."

Liu Yunzhi, the CNSO's first violin soloist, took a more positive spin. "Actually, I don't feel special. The instruments in symphony orchestras across China are backward in general, and our orchestra's instruments, on average, are among the best inside China," he told China Daily.

"Our musicians just try every means to make the very best music from our limited instruments," Li Xincao, the chief resident conductor of the CNSO, said. "I really show my respect for them."

Concert season

Lack of good instruments aside, the orchestra has been struggling with a bigger challenge: how to cultivate a larger classical music following in the new century.

Founders of the orchestra, including Li Delun and other veterans, had a strong belief in the need for people to elevate themselves culturally through music, especially classical Western music.

In its first 20 years, however, the orchestra did not have as many chances to give concerts as its founders would have liked. There were constant debates, especially during the early years of the "cultural revolution" when classical Western music was banned and demonized as being decadent.

Under the planned economy, the orchestra was fully funded by the government, though the budget was low by international standards. There was no requirement for the number of concerts it had to give annually.

For 10 years during the "cultural revolution," most Chinese listened to music from no more than a dozen modern revolutionary operas or ballets, or a host of revolutionary songs. The orchestra members went to work in the countryside for re-education, or played only the revolutionary tunes.

When China emerged from this decade of chaos in 1976, Li Delun and other veterans discovered that very few people knew about classical Western music. In response, they began tours of school campuses and other public places to introduce people to the music.

The orchestra also gave free performances as part of its "Weekend Concert" programme. "I still keep a programme list of the 100th 'Weekend Concert'," Zhu Xiaoqiu, development manager of the CNSO, said.

However, a regular concert season remained merely a dream to many veteran orchestra members.

In those years, the more concerts the orchestra gave, the more money it lost. At the same time, the poorly paid musicians earned extra money by playing accompaniments for films, or in hotels.

It wasn't until 1996, when the country was embracing the market economy and the orchestra celebrated its 40th birthday, that it started its official concert season. From September to July, the orchestra held three to five concerts each month.

Despite all the efforts, the CNSO has found that there is an insufficient audience for these concerts, especially given competition from the newly-founded China Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, as well as television and pop music.

"Many Chinese people still know little about symphonies. They'd rather invest their money in a car or a house than buy a ticket for a symphony concert," Zhu lamented.

The orchestra will introduce a new concert season scheme this autumn. Zhu said the new concert season is a continuation of our orchestra's old "Weekend Concert."

"The 'Weekend Concert' influenced several generations, including my colleagues and I," Zhu added. "It was there that I fell in love with symphonies. Later I entered the CNSO and my dream was fulfilled."

Lin Kai, a classical music critic, said: "The CNSO has in the 50 years since its inception developed a reputation for introducing Chinese audiences to a large range of classical, romantic and contemporary orchestral works by Western and Asian composers."

But Li Xincao argues that classical music lovers are still very much in the minority. "Apart from a fixed group of classical music lovers, very few people would go to a classical concert hall given the temptation of other kinds of entertainment."

Different look

"We have to find a means to broaden our appeal," Guan said. "In the last two years, our orchestra came out with a series of special-themed concerts, such as the New Year concert, movie concert and Valentine's Day concert. The audience seems to feel closer to symphonic music."

These new moves have reportedly boosted the stagnant classical music market but, meanwhile, a new problem has arisen.

"The Burning Time," the so-called first situational concert of the CNSO chorus, was held at Beijing Concert Hall on July 29.

"Over decades, it is the first time that I saw them perform this way instead of standing and singing still," a soprano surnamed Li from the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said.

In this situational concert, 36 singers aged between 20 and 50 dress in military uniforms or Russian folk costumes and sing and dance as they would in a modern musical.

"The tunes are still the old ones, but the concert just looks different," Zhao Xiaoping, 43 and a government employee, said.

During the concert, an accordionist caught the audience's attention with flashy moves more reminiscent of a pop star. The Russian folk song "Kachusa" received the most applause. In this piece, four slightly plump, middle-aged singers experiment with tap dance.

"The accordionist was so cool. This chorus used to be stiff and awkward but now this show just brings it alive," a 23-year-old postgraduate student from Peking University said.

This new pattern, however, has stirred some debate.

"The accordionist was just exaggerating," said Qiu Fenghua, a university professor in her 50s. "I really cannot put up with his garish, gaudy swaying when he walked and played."

Li, the soprano, remarked, "I just heard the whistles at the concert hall. Though this is rather innovative, it impairs the chorus's professionalism to a certain extent."

From the time when the "From Mao to Mozart" documentary was made, the orchestra has experienced many ups and downs.

The result of a small survey conducted by China Daily might provide at least a crumb of comfort for orchestra members. When asked what era they considered to be the CNSO's artistic peak, the president, the conductor, and the first violin soloist gave the same answer: "The present."

"I'm firmly convinced that our orchestra has always been moving forward. But we should bear in mind that the symphony is imported from Western countries and we are trying to make it blossom in the Chinese world. It cannot be done in a day," Liu Yunzhi said.

Li Xincao, the energetic and dynamic 35-year-old conductor, agreed. "Every oak must have been an acorn at one time," he said.

(China Daily August 8, 2006)