1950 Overture，Homeland Strong and Free(山河已无恙)
Authors: Tian Siyu , Fu Qingyuan , Tan Huibing 
Published: November 2024

"1950 Overture, Homeland Strong and Free " (referred to as "1950 Overture") was composed for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The inspiration for this work came from a collaboration idea proposed by the conductor of the Baoding Symphony Orchestra. The 1950 Overture is a historical symphonic ballade. From the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the music revolves around the Korean War, claimed China as a newly-independent country, to the recent agreement between China and South Korea to exchange the remains of volunteer martyrs, and its legendary events of the war demo a time span of 75 years since Oct first, 1949. 1950 overture commemorates the Korea War, salutes the Chinese People's Volunteers and expresses the gratitude to cherish 75 years of peace. When communicating with a concertmaster, the musician was confused about the title of the work. It reminds us of Tchaikovsky's orchestral work "1812 Overture". The full title of the work is " 1812: Ouverture Solennelle composée pour grand orchestre à l'occasion de l'inauguration de la cathédrale du Saint-Sauveur à Moscou ". The "1812 Overture" commemorates the victory of the Russo-French War in 1812 when Kutuzov led the Russian people to repel the invasion of Napoleon's army. Therefore, I added a long annotated title to "1950 Overture, Homeland Strong and Free" "Concert Overture Composed to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China, Commemorate the Victory of the Chinese People's Volunteers and the Korean War and Its Peaceful China." There are many musical works in the world that depict and celebrate war. However, orchestral works that celebrate the army against the backdrop of the Korean War are rare; thus, the author felt it necessary to create this piece. Two themes of military Marches were used in the piece, 'Marching Song of the Volunteer Army', 'Military Song of the 38th Army' to commemorate our troops and ancestors."1950 Overture" is also based on multiple musical materials, mostly from classic songs and movie music, all related to the Korean War and the Volunteer Army, and they all were widely circulated in China. The work has four main sections: (1) the introduction of multiple tunes(prelude), (2) the theme of the military song of the Volunteer Army in the form of a march and the theme of the military song of the 38th Army and their development and variations, (3) the phrase of the waltz "Farewell to Korea" and its development section, and (4) " Homeland Strong and Free (山河已无恙)". The author uses a narrative approach to show the Korean War, the armistice, and more than 70 years of peace. Importantly, authors willingly mention that the final phrase, " Homeland Strong and Free (山河已无恙)", which is movie ending song of 38th Parallel (TV series). The tune originally adopted from Shanxi folk tune is also frequently used in the ceremony of the repatriation of the remains of the Volunteers, the repatriation of the remains of the martyrs of the Volunteers is an agreement reached through negotiation between China and South Korea, and China and South Korea are willing to face up to the past together and face the future together (there is a separate appendix on the transfer of the remains of missing persons in the war and the handling of extreme events between China and South Korea). The purpose of arrangement of the music intents to address fostering peace and sustainable development.