The genre phenomenon of the piano concerto "Yellow River"

This article is devoted to the piano concerto "Yellow River" ("Huanghe"), created in 1969 by a group of Chinese composers under the direction of Yin Chengzong. Written during the Cultural Revolution, the work marks a new stage in the flourishing of the concerto genre in the musical life of the PRC and contributes to the development of the country’s instrumental and performing culture in the second half of the twentieth century. The relevance of the research topic lies in the absence of scholarly studies on the genre-specific features of the "Yellow River". The aim of the study is to reveal the genre originality of Yin Chengzong’s piano concerto. This aspect seems to be significant not only in the field of musicology, but also for advancing the situation of cultural policy and educational activities in the field of art in China and beyond, including in Russia. The methodological basis of the research is a comprehensive approach, with special attention paid to the analysis of its figurative and semantic content, musical-stylistic characteristics, and structural-dramaturgical features, which made it possible to identify its genre nature. It is emphasized that the "Yellow River" remains not only a musical masterpiece but also a historical document reflecting the complex path of China in the postwar period. The concerto demonstrates a convincing artistic synthesis of European and national musical traditions. The analysis presented in the article identifies the main thematic spheres of the piano concerto as well as the tone-painting techniques shaped by its programmatic character. It was found that Yin Chengzong employs traditional Chinese expressive means and folk performance practices, combining them with the foundations of Western classical composition, thereby reflecting broader processes of globalization in China’s musical culture. The main conclusion of the analysis is that the invariant features of the concerto genre are preserved in the "Yellow River", while organically combining the characteristics of the concerto, suite, symphonic poem, and piano transcription. The study confirms that the concerto has become a representative example of an individual interpretation of the genre and a hallmark of the Chinese piano school on the international stage. Understanding the genre-specific features of the "Yellow River" helps to clarify the inherent musical, compositional, and technical meanings of the concerto and facilitates its proper interpretation in musical-pedagogical and performance practice.