By Rhea Mursalin
Men of Iron and the Golden Spike (铁汉金钉)—an epic symphonic oratorio by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Zhou Long with a libretto by Su Wei—received a stirring performance presented by the US–China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. On October 6, 2019 at Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall, The Orchestra Now under Jindong Cai joined the China Now Festival Chorus and Symphony Silicon Valley Chorus. Soloists Rachel Schutz (soprano), Zha Lina (mezzo‑soprano), Chen Dashuai (tenor), Nan Feng (tenor), and Andrew Munn (bass) give the story human immediacy. Western symphonic writing and Chinese musical inflection interweave to honor the Chinese laborers who built America’s Transcontinental Railroad. The result is historically grounded and emotionally resonant; later that month, the work would receive its world premiere at Carnegie Hall.
⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars – Powerful, dignified, and moving.
Rhea Mursalin is a recent graduate from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where she earned a B.A. in Communications.
