Music finally fills air at Changchun's newly restored provincial concert hall

The Jilin Symphony Orchestra performed its New Year's concert on Wednesday night inside the Jilin Provincial Music Hall, formerly known as Fengle Theatre, a historic building with a storied past.

The concert marked the first major musical performance at the venue, located in the heart of Changchun, since the completion of a major restoration.

The refreshed landmark, which has stood in the Jilin provincial capital since 1935, is designed to function as a working concert hall rather than standing as a static heritage site. Music has not been performed in the historic building for several decades.

The New Year Symphony Concert program saw Chinese classics, including the Yellow River Piano Concerto and the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, performed alongside works by the Strauss family, whose waltzes and polkas are closely associated with the Vienna New Year's Concert tradition. Among the selections was Chinese Galop, a piece by Johann Strauss I that shaped the 19th-century European imagination of China.

The program was structured to bring together the brilliance of Western classical music and the richness of China's musical tradition, the orchestra said in a WeChat post. The listening experience moved across cultural boundaries and historical periods.

For members of the orchestra, the concert was inseparable from the venue itself. Song Yujia, the principal trumpet player and a Changchun native, remembered walking past the building as a child.

"In the past, this area was full of activity and cultural atmosphere,"Song said. "Over time, as the surroundings became more modern and accessible, the cultural presence faded. Transforming the old site into a music hall gives the building new life while preserving its character."

That sense of connection was echoed by Zhang Tongtong, another of the orchestra's principal players, who described rehearsing in the renewed hall as both motivating and emotionally resonant.

"This is a high-standard venue built on a foundation of history,"Zhang said. "Our orchestra will perform several times in January. For musicians who grew up in Changchun, performing regularly in this space is something we aspire to."

Construction on Fengle Theatre began in 1933, with it opening in 1935 during a period when Changchun had been designated the "capital" of the puppet state of "Manchukuo" under Japanese occupation. Over subsequent decades, the building underwent multiple name changes and functional shifts. In 2002, it was designated a Changchun municipal cultural relic and became a protected unit before being included in the city's first list of historic buildings in 2007, according to Jilin Daily.

Damage to the building's original structure prompted the recent restoration project, which began in December 2024. The project followed the principle of "restoring the old as old", with minimum intervention, according to chief designer Zheng Ning.

Historical drawings and photographs were used to restore the facade and interior details, while modern infrastructure was integrated to meet contemporary performance needs. Zheng said practical use was a design priority alongside preservation, emphasizing the continuous use of the historic structure to enrich urban cultural life.

Yang Zhigang, an acoustics specialist involved in the project, said the hall now meets international acoustic standards for venues of its size. Lighting designers, meanwhile, worked under strict heritage protection requirements, adapting stage lighting while avoiding changes to the building's external appearance.

The music hall combines its historical character with upgraded modern cultural functions, positioning itself as a space for artistic performances, cultural experiences and public visits, Jilin Daily reported.

The New Year's concert was part of a broader cultural effort. Through initiatives such as a weekly symphony concert series, Changchun has sought to make orchestral music a regular presence rather than a one-off occasion.

That vision has resonated with local audiences. "What drew me to the concert was the history and the feeling that this place is alive again," said Yang Min, a resident who attended the performance.