Avshalomov: Hutungs of Peking

Introduction

Hutungs of Peking (which could be rendered as “Peking byway”) was composed in 1931 and is a tonal evocation of street sounds from dawn to dus k. There are early-morning street cries, bits of Chinese opera, and temple and popular music, as well as a funeral procession with its deafening panoply of drums to drive away the evil spirits. After reaching a final climax, the music ends in the same tranquil mood with which it began. The world premiere of Peking Hutungs took place in Shanghai on February 7, 1933, and it was recorded there in 1935, in which year Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra gave the music its American premiere.

— Notes prepared by David Hall, 1966