The Yellow River Cantata is to Chinese choirs and audiences what Messiah is to UK choirs and audiences. Every choir in China knows this work, and everyone in China knows at least one of the tunes. This work, written by Xian Xinghai, makes extraordinarily effective use of the rhythms and cadences of Chinese folk music, which in turn spring from everyday Chinese life, to create a work that speaks directly to the Chinese, but is also universal in its appeal. This work is, above all, tuneful and emotionally accessible.

This was only the second performance of the Yellow River Cantata in London and will be a first step in establishing a tradition of performing this work in the UK. Just as every major city in the world has an annual performance of Messiah, this flagship Chinese choral work deserves an annual performance to evaluate its merits and stimulate a new generation of composers to react to it and create other Chinese choral masterpieces.