On January 14, as the New Year is approaching, five "returnee" pianists, Zhong Ting, Pan Chun, Sheng Yuan, Du Ningwu, and Han Bing, performed a famous performance at the Zhongshan Park Concert Hall in Beijing. It is a New Year's concert "with a pure heart and a sincere response to the national conditions". Leaders such as Zhou Weizhi, chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Fu Gengchen, chairman of the China Musicians Association, and many Chinese piano masters in Beijing such as Zhou Guangren came to watch, which shows that this concert is unique.

Looking through the personal profiles on the program list, in addition to the numerous awards and honors in each person's name, it is not difficult to find the same artistic journey of several pianists: Sheng Yuan, who studied with Sheng Yuan in his early years Professors such as Li Qifang, Li Huili, and Zhou Guangren; in 1991, he went to the Manhattan School of Music in New York, USA, for further study, and received a master's degree in music; in 2005, he returned to China to teach at the Central Conservatory of Music. Du Ningwu graduated from the High School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in his early years, and then went to the Juilliard School of Music in New York for further studies. In September 2005, he returned to China to teach at the Guangzhou Xinghai Conservatory of Music. Han Bing studied at the High School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the High School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music in his early years. In 1994, he went to study at the Manhattan School of Music in the United States and received a master's degree. In 2003, he returned to China to teach in the Piano Department of the China Conservatory of Music. Pan Chun studied at the Middle School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied under famous teachers such as Chen Huiyi, Zhu Gongyi, and Yang Jun. At the age of 19, he was sent by the government to study at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory of Music in Moscow, the Soviet Union, and received a master's degree diploma; 1996 After completing his studies, he returned to China to teach at the Central Conservatory of Music. Zhong Ting was admitted to the High School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1982. In 1988, he went to the United States and studied at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. Since 2001, he has taught in the Piano Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He received a good art education in China when he was a child and laid a solid professional foundation - went abroad for further study - returned to China after completing his studies and was active in teaching positions and music stages in major domestic music schools, forming several "returnees"** *The same life trajectory is also a microcosm of the life trajectories of a large number of young scholars active in various fields in contemporary China.

Since the theme of the night was to welcome the New Year and highlight the festive and cheerful atmosphere, the entire concert was enveloped in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Therefore, several pianists did not choose major works in the repertoire, but they also presented their own favorite works. In general, the works that night were still divided into two categories. Sheng Yuan and Pan Chun chose Bach's "Italian Concerto" and Rachmaninoff's "Variations on a Theme of Corelli" to focus on the performance of music. Others All three chose virtuosic works by romantic composers such as Liszt and Ravel.

At the beginning of the concert, Sheng Yuan, wearing a blue Tang suit, appeared and immediately won a lucky draw. The "Italian Concerto" played by Sheng Yuan was the only pre-Romantic work that night. Bach has always been Sheng Yuan's "strength", so he was naturally comfortable playing it - the music structure is logical and the parts are hierarchical. All very clear. Du Ningwu, who has not appeared much on the Beijing stage before, is a very versatile pianist. In addition to solo performances, he has considerable experience in chamber music performance and composition. That night, in addition to Liszt's "Mephisto Waltz", he also performed his own adaptation of the famous erhu piece "Er Quan Ying Yue". Its version is more structurally sound than the original piece and the previous classic version adapted by Chu Wanghua. Refined, the musical language is also more piano-like. From this version, we can feel Du Ningwu’s unique, piano-like understanding and interpretation of this national classic. Han Bing was the youngest pianist on stage that night. His performance of Ravel's "Waltz" was very lively and passionate, winning rounds of applause from the audience.

In the second half, Pan Chun took the lead and played the last piano work written by Rachmaninoff, "Variations on a Theme of Corelli". Pan Chun's performance has a calm and elegant temperament just like the person he is. After studying in Russia for many years, his approach to music is broad and deep, and his complex counterpoint and techniques are well integrated into the performance of the music. It is not difficult to see that he Get the essence of the "Russian School".

Zhong Ting was the eldest pianist among the pianists who performed that night. He chose Liszt’s adaptation of Schumann’s art song “Dedication” and Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” ” and two jazz pieces by Gershwin. Zhong’s tone was very clean and transparent. Although the mid-bass tone of the Yamaha piano used in the concert that night was a bit dark, his performance was still full of brilliance, with fast, gorgeous decorative cadenza phrases and a large number of difficult octaves. His performances demonstrated his profound technical skills.

Another highlight of this concert is the "special program" where several special guests and pianists perform together after the official program. These special guests were none other than the wives of several pianists who performed that night. It turned out that, except for Han Bing, several others already had families, and their significant others - Zhong Ting's wife Wang Guanwen, Pan Chun's wife Lin Jingjing, Sheng Yuan's wife Tara Sheng (American), Du Ningwu's His wife Shen Huilian (Korean) is also a pianist. As a result, a warm scene of a "piano couple" sitting side by side or playing opposite each other appeared on the stage, which is rarely seen in ordinary concerts.

As for the attendance of several special guests, the host’s explanation was very interesting: “Back then, when these pianists went to study abroad, people lamented, ‘All the outstanding talents we cultivated went abroad. 'And today, they not only returned home after completing their studies, but also brought one of their disciples back with them. We didn't pay any compensation, but also made a profit." The host's "joking" can be seen as an alternative interpretation of the flow of talents. Indeed, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as a large number of outstanding domestic talents went abroad to study, voices lamenting the "serious brain drain" were heard endlessly. However, in just a dozen years, with the rapid development of the domestic economy and cultural undertakings, a large number of "returnees" have "returned" to various fields in the country.

Looking back at the young pianists who returned from overseas in this New Year’s concert, with their participation, it can be predicted that China’s piano industry will usher in a new spring in the near future.