The media conference of The Composer, the first movie co-prodiced by China and Kazakhstan, on Monday in Beijing Photo: Li Hao/GT

After the movie ended, two ladies in their 80s were invited on stage. One of the women, who was sitting in a wheelchair, couldn't hold back her tears as she spoke in front of the audience. The other woman, leaned in and brush away her tears. The entire theater fell quiet for a while as the two held each other, then slowly the applause began to build until it became a thunderous roar. 

This was the Beijing premiere of The Composer. About late Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, the film is the first coproduction between studios in China and Kazakhstan. The woman in the wheelchair was Kazakh musician Bakhytzhan Baikadamov's niece Kalamkas Arislanova, while the woman at her side was Xian's daughter Xian Nina. 

Immortal work



Xian Xinghai was the first Chinese student admitted to the Paris Music Conservatory. A household name in China, he is best known for his Yellow River Cantata, a patriotic work that inspired numerous Chinese during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). The piece captured the anger of Chinese as well as their resolution to defend their homeland from invaders. 

The piece is even familiar to Western orchestras. At the special request of US President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s, the Philadelphia Orchestra was the first US orchestra to perform in China. During its historic trip to the country in 1973, the orchestra performed the Yellow River Piano Concerto, which was based on the cantata, and since then, this piece has become a part of the Western symphonic repertoire.

Father and musician 

Even though most Chinese people know Xian as one of the greatest musicians in the country, few know that during the early 1940s, the last few years of his life, he got stranded in Kazakhstan while trying to return to China from Russia. 

The choice to make the film was inspired by Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University in 2013, according to Shen Jian, executive producer of the film and the CEO of Shinework Pictures, the studio behind the film. During his speech, Xi said that at a time when Xian had no family and was struggling with poverty and sickness, Kazakh musician Bakhytzhan Baikadamov gave him a family.

"When I heard about this, I was surprised," said Shen. 

"How did he get stranded in Kazakhstan in 1941? That was when his work was inspiring people across China during the war. It seemed a bit hard for me to swallow," Shen said, explaining why he began researching the subject. 

The movie approaches the musician through the lens of a father. 

Throughout his time in Kazakhstan, Baikadamov's niece Kalamkas Arislanova was like a daughter to him. Sadly, this contrasts starkly with what happened with his own daughter. When Xian left China, Nina was only 8 months old. Due to the war, the musician was never able to return to his motherland before he died in 1945. 

Shen told Global Times that the Nina and Arislanova were very excited about the film as it enabled them to reunite with Xian through the big screen. Nina noted that the film is particularly significant for her, as most films about Xian have focused on depicting him as a great musician, while this one is about him as her father. 

"I am deeply grateful to him for his fatherly love to me," said Arislanova at the premiere. 

"I've always felt that I have a responsibility to Nina; that I should tell her father's entire story to her," she added. 

As depicted in the movie, Xian was able to concentrate on music with the generous help of Baikadamov and his family. Inspired by the Kazakh people, Xian created many works during his time in Kazakhstan, contributing to the country's cultural inheritance. 

Take his work Amangeldy, for instance. Based on the exploits of the Kazakh national hero, the symphony proved immensely popular with locals, encouraging them to stand up to fascism.

 "We also owe the people of Kazakhstan for this story, since they saved our country's greatest musician during the war," said Shen.

A common language



"From preparation to shooting, it took our team more than five years to complete this work. Nearly 20,000 people participated in the production and it was shot in three different countries: China, Russia and Kazakhstan," Shen noted.  

The first China-Kazakhstan coproduction, the film was a challenge for the multinational crew.  

"Whenever we had some ideas, we had to translate it into Chinese or Russian, and translate the feedback into the other language again when exchanging notes. It took longer than usual, but we found it necessary and meaningful," said Shen. 

A shared passion for music, film and Xian's story, bonded the team together and helped them overcome language barriers.

"Since the team spoke different languages, we just greeted each other by saying 'Xian Xinghai,' which became our way of saying good morning and good night. The name 'Xian Xinghai' becomes a common language for us," said Shen.