As the first performance in the Performance Week for the 125th Anniversary of the Founding of Peking University, on April 25, 2023, "Musical Rhyme: Special Concert of Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra at Peking University" was successfully held as the special concert celebrating the 5th anniversary of the founding of the practice base commonly constructed by Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Chinese National School of Music of China Conservatory of Music and Peking University Hall. Wang Xudong, Secretary of the Party Committee of China Conservatory of Music, Wang Cui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of China Conservatory of Music, Chi Huisheng, Former Executive Vice President of Peking University, attended and watched the concert.

The concert was conducted and guided by conductor Xia Xiaotang, and performed by Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra. Li Yuhe, Associate Professor at the Orchestral Instruments Department of China Conservatory of Music, served as the Violin Soloist.

Three orchestral works were performed in the concert, including Die Hebriden and Violin Concerto in E Minor by Mendelssohn, and Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major "Eroica" by Beethoven. Those orchestral works represent not only the inheritance of Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra in terms of classic musical works, but also the concept of the "Musical Rhyme" brand project persisted since its launching, which is to pay tribute to the classics in a modern way.

The concert was opened by Die Hebriden. This is a representative overture composed by Mendelssohn. This work was performed by the symphony orchestra with highly-integrated tones and distinct levels of melodies through inner parts, depicting the craggy rocks and turbulent billowing waves of Hebrides Islands, giving both audio and visual senses and imagination, as well as the magnificent scenery and majestic momentum of nature to the audience.

Violin Concerto in E Minor by Mendelssohn was performed by Li Yuhe, violinist and Associate Professor at the Orchestral Instruments Department of China Conservatory of Music, together with the symphony orchestra. This work is one of the four well-known violin concertos in the world, alongside the violin concertos of Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. The performance of Li Yuhe is deeply emotional, with the ups and downs of the music melody. The emotional changes in the musical work were perfectly conveyed to the audience through the delicate performance techniques. The spectacular performance fully demonstrated the performer's solid skills and profound understanding of the emotions and philosophies of the musical work, comprehensively showcasing the characteristics of violin instruments in terms of timbre and performing techniques. The symphony orchestra provides inclusive support and complement to the violin solo, jointly setting off the climax of the concert.

Later, Li Yuhe, together with He Tianyi, the viola player of the orchestra, played the encore Passacaglia. This was the last piece of work in the German composer Handel's Klaviersuiten HWV 432 in G Minor, which was adapted into a duet for violin and viola by Norwegian violinist John Halverson. The melody of this work was beautiful and warm with a bright and powerful rhythm. The voice parts of the violin and the viola responded to each other, and the theme of the music presented a colorful timbre change in constant variations.

In the second half of the concert, Beethoven's Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major "Eroica" was performed. This work is a frequently performed Beethoven work in concerts. As the theme of this symphony unfolds, the band expressed a grand heroic atmosphere with philosophical music, and shaped a heroic statue striving for ideals through distinct contrasts of strength and progressive musical rhythms. Especially in the performance of the second movement Funeral March, the orchestra performed solemnly, revealing a unique sense of beauty and emotional tension in the mournful music.

In the guidance, conductor Xia Xiaotang introduced the scene depicted in all works, the history behind them, the stories narrated, and the emotions expressed in literary and visual language. He also explained the development of the theme motivation, structural characteristics of these works, and other aspects of musical works themselves in a simple and profound manner, allowing the audience to understand the characteristics of all works and the composer's creative philosophy while obtaining auditory aesthetics. The guided concert is a major highlight of the "Musical Rhyme" series activities, becoming an effective measure of elegant art and music to enter the campus and implement aesthetic education in universities, which is deeply loved by teachers and students at Peking University. Xia Xiaotang's conductor, with his passionate and unrestrained conducting style, meticulous and rigorous artistic handling, together with the collaboration with Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra and Li Yuhe's violin performance, presented a musical event that combined both artistic and academic aspects. The audience's response was enthusiastic, with thunderous applause. The success of this concert fully demonstrated the mature control of Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra in terms of the music style, performance techniques, and content of the classical music.

Since the establishment of the joint practice base in 2018, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Chinese National School of Music and Peking University Hall have continuously launched a series of high-quality aesthetic education projects with diverse forms and rich content, interpreting the aesthetic education concept of educating people through culture and aesthetics, and representing the spirit of aesthetic education in the new era. Chinese National School of Music Symphony Orchestra, as the core construction project of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Chinese National School of Music, has entered Peking University multiple times over the past five years with high-quality, high-level, and high-standard concert activities, building a bridge of cooperation between the two schools with music, and conveying the spiritual connotation of music art to teachers and students. In the future, China Conservatory of Music and Peking University will continue to provide a high-quality platform for cultivating high-level talents for comprehensive development in the new era, jointly telling the story of China through music, spreading the voice of China, and opening a new chapter in the construction of aesthetic education in colleges and universities.