The Spring Festival Suite is an orchestral piece composed by the world-renowned Chinese composer Li Huanzhi (1919-2000) in 1956 based on the scenes of Chinese people joyfully celebrating the Spring Festival (Chinese Lunar New Year) in the Shanbei region of China. The suite contains four movements, with the first movement being the most popular one. Richard Shao (b. 2005, BM in Piano Performance) transcribed the complete suite for solo piano in 2025. Overture: Yangge Dance 序曲：大秧歌 The first movement is structured in a compound ternary form. It opens with a joyous introduction featuring a full orchestral tutti, using two Suona folk tunes from the Northern Shaanxi region of China. The second theme is inspired by the folk tune Spring Arrives in February, featuring a deeply moving melody that gives a feeling of homesickness during the festival for people away from home. In 2007, the overture was selected to be carried and broadcast into space on China’s first lunar probe. Love Song 情歌 The second movement is based on a love song theme in Northern Shaanxi with a lush texture and complicated harmonic progressions featuring dialogues between multiple instruments. Dialogue Song 盘歌 The third movement is inspired by the western waltz genre along with folk tunes from multiple Chinese ethnic groups that symbolize reunion during the festival. Finale: Lantern Festival 终曲：灯会 The fourth movement symbolizes the conclusion of the 15-day Spring Festival celebration. The movement features a three-part lantern club, overlapping tones, and folk tunes such as “Picking Pumpkins” and “Land Boat”, with an exciting conclusion that features traditional Chinese percussion instruments.