About Yu Lu
The world-renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa once described Yu Lu as “the most outstanding and talented young conductor that I have ever encountered in my life”.
At the end of 2020, on the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, Yu Lu initiated a challenge of “performing Beethoven’s nine symphonies in 5 consecutive days”, working together with Bilibili.com (one of China’s biggest video-sharing sites) and Ningbo Symphony Orchestra. The online live performance was a great success and has captured great attention both at home and abroad. Such a performance arrangement was an innovation in China’s music history. Yu Lu, with undisputed talent and courage, ’completed the entire 5-day performance, which made him the first conductor in China’s music history.
Media
“Yu Lu has done many challenging and meaningful things, such as performing all nine Beethoven symphonies in five days – by heart! His talent was appreciated by Maestro Mariss Jansons and Maestro Seiji Ozawa, among others. I sincerely hope that more people can like and listen Yu Lu’s interpretation of music.”
— Lang Lang
Inspirations & Aspirations
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” — Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler, who died in 1911, was a great inspiration to Yu Lu. It is fascinating because Mahler was not only a composer but also a conductor. There are no recordings of the concerts under Mahler's direction, but he left comments in his scores, which tell us how Mahler imagined the sound. His comments show in a very detailed manner what was important to him.
This is why Yu Lu studies his personal handwriting (often in red ink), as well as the dazzling marks in the scores. For instance, when his notes have been written in different colors or when he connected his notes with big, dynamic lines. Everything has been written in a fast tempo; the ink is often not dried before he already turned the page. One can feel the fire and passion with which he worked. This is why Yu Lu collected some original handwritings of Mahler and hung them above his bureau.
He participated in our Conducting Master Class in May 2012. He was one of three active participants selected from more than 70 young conductors. He is a talented conductor who prepares his scores thoroughly has a clear technique, and knows how to communicate non-verbally with an orchestra.
– Mariss Jansons
Chief-conductor / Royal Concertgebow Orchestra
