以《黃河大合唱》權威演逾半世紀的中國合唱指揮嚴良堃，音樂感染力驚人的一代宗師，晚年仍活力十足 2014年以名礜音樂總監身份，來港參加明儀合唱團的周年音樂會。 從講座、排練到演出全程投入，樂此不疲。

1923 出生於武漢的嚴良堃成長於抗日戰爭時期，1938年參加歌詠運動，受教於剛從巴黎回國的冼星海近半年。1940年，嚴氏在陪都重慶指揮孩子劇團演出足本《黃河大合唱》，那是他一生指揮這首作品超過一千次的處子之作。

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1947年，已從國立音樂院畢業的嚴良堃來到香港，擔任在灣仔建校的中華音樂院教務主任，期間指揮該院合唱團，演出院長馬思聰的新作《祖國大合唱》。

1949年回國後，他在中央音樂學院音工團擔任合唱指揮。 1953至1958年保送到莫斯科音樂學院學習指揮。1959年以指揮中央樂團演出貝多芬第九交響曲成為亮點。

文革十年靠邊，復出後多次率團到海外巡演，包括1985年以中央樂團團長身份，在香港體育館的黃河音樂節演出千人《黃河大合唱》。其後亦客席指揮明儀合唱團和香港中槳團，並為《長恨歌》等作品錄音，在香江留下絕響。

Born in 1923, Yan studied conducting in his native city of Wuhan under Xian in 1938.  In 1940, Yan, at age 17, acquired the full score of Xian’s Yellow River Cantata, and conducted it in Chongqing with his own Children Theatre chorus.

From 1940 to his last performance of the Yellow River Cantata in 2015, he did full justice to his teacher and the masterpiece with some 1,000 performances under his baton.  A few stood out for their historic significance.

The 1985 performance featuring a 1,000-strong combined force from 28 local choirs at Hong Kong Coliseum was one.  The 15,000-chorister performance in Guangzhou 10 years later was another record.

But none was as grim and breath-taking as the Beijing performance in 1975 when Yan took the risk of resurrecting the Yellow River Cantata, which was then banned in favour of the piano concerto version, during the decade-long Cultural Revolution.

Yan resumed full duty after the ordeal and became the Head of the Central Philharmonic Society in 1982.  A reform in 1996 that scrapped the old orchestra and chorus for the new China National Symphony Orchestra broke his heart.  He refused to conduct the new orchestra for over ten years until the chorus was reinstated.

In 2015, Yan conducted his signature piece for the last time celebrate the dual 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the death of his mentor Xian Xinghai.  The secret of harnessing the artistic adrenalin of choristers is now a thing of the past but will not be forgotten by those who made music with him.

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周光蓁 Oliver Chou

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2017年7月   美樂集

​​​嚴良堃  Mr Yan Liang Kun

永遠名譽音樂總監   Life Honorary Music Director