The Moon – A concert Based on Chinese Manga

‘The Moon’ is a cultural cooperation between Norway and China, especially developed for the Expo in Shanghai 2010. It involves young talented artists, and a unique concept.


For the first time in music history, Chinese manga – the manhua, will enter the concert hall in the form of symphonic music. The concert, as the world premiere, will be held at the European Stage at the Expo site on the 8th of October. At first, Shanghai Wanfang Youth Symphony Orchestra will present works of traditional Norwegian composers such as Ole Bull, Edvard Grieg and Geirr Tveitt, lead by Norwegian conductor Kjell Seim. After that, the young Norwegian composer, Martin Romberg, will enter the stage with the two Norwegian/Chinese violinists and sisters, Sara and Catharina Chen.


Romberg, has in cooperation with Sara and Catharina Chen, composed a concert building on the Chinese cartoon The Moon. The story of The Moon is about a young warrior girl, the beautiful female spirit in her sword, and their adventures in ancient China in the time of the tree empires. The concert will be played simultaneously with a screening of the motion graphics animated version of the cartoon, especially made for this concert by Youth Animation Studio, Shanghai.


By uniting Chinese and Norwegian traditions, the objective of the project is to present contemporary Norwegian music for a Chinese audience in a spirit of dialog, understanding and exchange. It is also a goal to inspire children and a young audience to be acquainted with classical music though the use of themes derived from cartoons and Chinese popular culture.


The concert is presented in collaboration with the Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai, Innovation Norway, China-Norway Culture Promotion, The Chinese Cultural Festival in Norway, the Shanghai Youth Animation Studio, the Shanghai Wanfang Youth Symphony Orchestra, violinists Sara and Catharina Chen, composer Martin Romberg and conductor Kjell Seim.


The Sino-Norwegian collaboration project, ‘Cosmic Wind’, is also scheduled for performance on the European Square stage at the Shanghai Expo site on the 8th of October 2010.


 

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