Ru
EnXu Ying
Genre-Stylistic Synthesis in Xu Mengdong’s Synphonic Fantasia for Viola and Orchestra
This article examines issues regarding the genre-stylistic identity of the Symphonic Fantasia for Viola and Orchestra by the prominent Chinese composer Xu Mengdong – an artist whose body of work, including this particular composition, has received insufficient attention in Russian-language musicology. The relevance of addressing this work stems from the need to understand the ways in which European compositional methods can be integrated with traditional Chinese material. The study traces the genealogy of the genre components of the composition in Western European, Russian and Chinese musical traditions, thereby establishing a historical frame of reference. Further analysis focuses on examining the structural, thematic, pitch and timbral elements of this work. The research identifies the synthetic nature of the composer’s conception, built upon cultural dialogue. The mechanism for realizing genre-stylistic synthesis manifests itself through the integration of Western and Eastern features in the following aspects: structure (combining the principles of parallel form for guqin pieces, inverted variational form and contemporary sonoristic composition), thematic development (interweaving the principles of variation, imitative polyphony and micropolyphony), pitch parameters (pentatonic scales developing fourth-andfifth motifs and sonoristic dramaturgy of textural levels), and timbral characteristics (academic orchestral instrumentation and allusions to guqin timbre). Particular attention is paid to the interaction between the solo viola and the orchestra, the interpretation of the viola as a bearer of the philosophical imagery of the guqin, and the orchestra as a sound model of natural elements. The article concludes with the assertion that the idea of synthesis holds paradigmatic significance in Xu Mengdong's Symphonic Fantasia.
Key words
Xu Mengdong, Sinfonic Fantasia for viola and orchestra, guqin, “Stream”, genre-stylistic synthesis.
For citation
Xu Ying. Genre-Stylistic Synthesis in Xu Mengdong’s Synphonic Fantasia for Viola and Orchestra. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 3. Pp. 81–90.
