Composers

Coming from an intellectual family, Qigang Chen (1951) began his musical studies as a child. When in his early teens, he was confronted with the Cultural Revolution and would spend three years locked up in a barracks, undergoing an ’ideological reeducation’. Nonetheless, his passion for music remained unshakeable and, in spite of the social pressure and anti-cultural policy, he pursued his training in composition.

In 1977, Qigang Chen was one of 26 candidates out of two thousand to be accepted into the composition class at the Beijing Central Conservatory. After five years of studies with Luo Zhongrong, in 1983 he stood for the national competition where he came first. As a result, he was the only one in his field to be authorized to go abroad to pursue graduate studies in composition.

Olivier Messiaen’s last student, from 1984 to 1988, he also studied with Ivo Malec, Betsy Jolas, Claude Ballif and Jacques Castérède. His first five years in France allowed him to broaden the scope of his culture and acquire new knowledge about 20th-century music. He discovered IRCAM by working there, wrote works inspired by groups such as the Ensemble Intercontemporain, London Sinfonietta and Ensemble Modern, and won prizes at international composition competitions.

In 1990 a second period began, notable for world travels, which further enrich him and allowed him to gradually grow away from the Paris musical universe.

Amongst his symphonic works, we can mention Reflet d’un temps disparu, for cello and orchestra, first performed by Yo-Yo Ma and the Orchestre National de France; Iris dévoilée, for three women’s voices, three traditional instruments and orchestra, a work commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation and Radio France; and Wu Xing, for orchestra, a finalist at the 2001 Masterprize competition in London.

Qigang Chen is also one of the living contemporary composers who collaborate with Virgin Classics/EMI for his monographic albums.

Elected ’World’s Best Classical Musician in the Chinese Language’ by the Chinese press in 2004 and 2012, he received the SACEM Grand Prize for Symphonic Music in 2005. His new album Extase was named the ’Favourite Contemporary Music’ in 2006 by the Académie Charles Cros. He was appointed musical director for the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a position that opened up a broader artistic universe.

Krystof Loertsche

-----------------------------------2015

> News

- CD release: Instants d’un opéra de Pékin for piano, by Chen Sa, for the label BIS Records AB (BIS-1974).

-----------------------------------2016

> News

- Composer in residence during the 2015-2016 season at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

- CD release: Enchantements oubliés for orchestra, and Un temps disparu for erhu and orchestra, by the National Symphony Orchestra of Taipei, for the label Naxos (8.570614).

-----------------------------------2018

> News

- Composer in residence at the National Center for Performing Arts of China for the 2017-2018 season.

- Named Artist of the Year 2017 by Beijing Music Festival.

-----------------------------------2019

- CD release of Wu Xing (The Five Elements) for orchestra, by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Long Yu, for the label Deutsche Grammophon - 483 6606.