Wang Xilin, Human Suffering, and Compositional Trends in Twenty-First Century China93

After being unjustly imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution, Wang Xilin intensively studied the music of modern European composers during the 1980s, once the Chinese government allowed access to this material. Immersing himself in the music of composers ranging from Stravinsky to Penderecki for almost a decade, Wang was able to find his distinctive voice as a composer around 1990, and since that time most of his major works have dealt with the theme of conflict between oppressed individuals and their oppressors. With symphonic compositions related to such topics as the ancient Chinese practice of filing a petition (Symphony no. 8), and the general conflict between the downtrodden individual and their authoritative oppressor (Concerto for piano and orchestra), Wang has not been particularly popular with the Chinese government. Composing in an intercultural style that mixes Chinese with Western elements, Wang, is concerned with all forms of injustice, composing music which expresses human suffering and future hope for humanity in a highly original way.