Wuxi Symphony Orchestra performs the Fly Into Outer Space concert at the Wuxi Grand Theater on Dec 7. [Photo provided to wuxi.gov.cn]
The Wuxi Symphony Orchestra presented an aerospace-themed concert titled Fly Into Outer Space at the Wuxi Grand Theater in East China's Jiangsu province on Dec 7.
As the highlight of the entire performance, the symphonic suite Fly Into Outer Space, composed by the music director and composer Li Shaosheng of the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra, premiered its first movement, Dreaming of Flying Into Outer Space.
In the second half, Gustav Holst's The Planets Suite, the first large-scale symphonic suite exploring celestial bodies created in the 20th century, was performed.
Fly Into Outer Space is the first large-scale, aerospace-themed symphonic suite to be held in the 21st century. It primarily reflects on the great pioneering spirit of exploring the vastness of outer space.
The first movement, Dreaming of Flying Into Outer Space, is divided into four small sections. It tells a vivid story from the creation of humanity to flying to the moon, and finally returns to dreams and back to the Jiangnan region. It also tells the compelling story of Wuxi's aerospace enterprises and research institutions' perseverance and continuous creation, depicting Wuxi as an important participant and witness of China's aerospace industry.
Moving forward, the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra will focus on China's aerospace industry and Wuxi's aerospace economy to create additional movements for the symphonic suite. In late April of next year, the orchestra will perform its aerospace-themed concert at the National Grand Theater, Peking University, and Tsinghua University.
In recent years, Wuxi has relied on its strength in aviation, mechanical manufacturing, and new materials to gradually develop a commercial aerospace industry. By last year, it had already gathered 110 commercial aerospace companies, with the industry's scale expected to exceed 100 billion yuan ($13.74 billion) by 2029.
