Fang Sheng
Nov 8, 2024
Emigre premieres in Berlin with stellar cast
On the evening of November 3, 2024, the oratorio Émigré (Chinese title "Shanghai! Shanghai!") had it’s European premiere at the Berliner Philharmonie, performed by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and conducted by Long Yu, Artistic Director of the Shanghai Symphon. This work, a joint commission by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Long Yu, had previously premiered in Shanghai in November 2023 and in the United States in March 2024. Though its premiere at the Beijing International Music Festival has been abruptly cancelled without specified reasons, the Berlin performance featured a stellar cast, including tenors Arnold Livingston Geis (as Joseph), Matthew White (as Otto), soprano Guanqun Yu (as Song Li) , mezzo-soprano Hui Ling Zhu (as Song Lina), and bass-baritone Shen Yang (as their father Song Wei), soprano Janai Brugger (as Rabbi’s daughter), and baritone Andrew Dwan (as uncle of Joseph and Otto), with the Rundfunkchor Berlin (Berlin Radio Choir) also participating.
Directed by Mary Birnbaum, the oratorio tells a story of compassion and mutual protection among global citizens, highlighting Shanghai's role as a haven for Jewish refugees during World War II. Composer Aaron Zigman, librettist Mark Campbell, and lyricist Brock Walsh spent three years crafting this piece, which illuminates history with the power of kindness and love.
The premiere event also included a seminar at the Jewish Museum Berlin, where Sophie Fetthauer, music scholar and historian at the Hochschule für Musiker und Theater Hamburg (Hamburg University of Music and Theatre) discussed the music culture created by Jewish refugee musicians (over 450 in total) in Shanghai. As a well-know scholar in this field, Dr. Fetthauer has published research works such as “Everyone has to help themselves here” - Paula, Josef and Frieda Fruchter: Letters from a Viennese family of musicians in exile in Shanghai 1941–1949, and Musicians in Exile in Shanghai 1938–1949. A string quartet consists of mjusicians of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin performed works by Jewish musicians in Shanghai, as well as String Quartet in E Minor by Chinese composer Ding Shande, and Rose Rose I Love You, by Chen Gexin.
Émigré has garnered international attention, with praise from major news outlets such as Reuters and The New York Times. The oratorio has also been featured on PBS in the United States and received critical acclaim from music magazines, including a five-star review from BBC Music Magazine. The recording of the work, released by Deutsche Grammophon, has been nominated for the Opus Klassik Award.
Future performances are scheduled with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, continuing the global journey of this significant work.
** Photo Source: Wechat channel of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra