"Ode to Virtue" spreads love across the world

A choral symphony Ode to Virtue made its debut in Shenzhen on August 30. Musicians from both home and abroad praised the musical work.

Wang Ning, the composer of Ode to Virtue, said that the intention of creating the musical work was to hopefully cross the restrictions of race and territory and promote the people-oriented idea of Confucian culture to the world. Wang wants to use music to let people around the world understand Confucian culture, spreading it beyond China to the entire world.

The conductor Chen Dengxiong said that Ode to Virtue is a magnificent musical work featuring traditional Chinese philosophy. It expresses the essence of Chinese culture.

Zoll Hoffman, the director of the composition department from the college-conservatory of music of the University of Cincinnati, said Ode to Virtue is a gift from Shenzhen to all humanity. Love is the theme of the musical work, which crosses the boundaries of race, nationality and language. “Although I can’t understand Chinese, it doesn’t matter to me, because the messages conveyed by the musical work can be understood by people all over the world,” Zoll said.