Hutongs are witnesses of Beijing's history and culture and are also unique scenes in Beijing's urban landscape. On November 14, the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, a subsidiary of Beijing Performing Arts Group, announced that this year it will launch an original work, "Hutongs", a situational music sketch, which will be played with ethnic music. The music of Beijing's top ten literary and artistic hutongs shows the hustle and bustle in Beijing. On December 15, a concert of this work will be performed at the Grand Theater of Beijing Nationalities Cultural Palace.

The "Hutong" situation music sketch is an original work by the Beijing Chinese Orchestra focusing on the cultural heritage of the capital of Beijing, using national instrumental music to introduce Beijing's humanities and history, promoting Beijing-style culture, and using musical works to show the cultural characteristics of Beijing's cities. "There are too many well-known hutongs in old Beijing, many of which have unique historical backgrounds. This time we hope to select Beijing hutongs with literary and artistic temperament to present." Li Changjun, head of the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, said that a few months ago, the troupe held a series of online selections and activities, and Beijing citizens voted for ten representative hutongs. In the end, Zhuanta Hutong, Wudaoying, Baihua Shenchen, Maoer Hutong, Liuyin Street, Yandaixiejie, Nanluoguxiang, Shijia Hutong, and Lanman Hutong ten alleys with literary and artistic qualities and stories including Baishun Hutong and Baishun Hutong were selected.

In the end, the "Hutong" situation music sketch will be presented in the form of five chamber music works and five large-scale national orchestral works. Li Changjun introduced that "Hutong" as a "musical sketch" refers to the short and concise length of each musical work. It is different from the large-scale compositions. This length is also more in line with the cultural atmosphere of Hutong. As a situational concert, Wang Shucai, a national first-class actor from the Beijing Folk Art Troupe and a representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Beijing Qinshu, will serve as the speaker, using drama, folk art, and other elements as a series to create a situational atmosphere and tell the cultural story of old Beijing. The concert will be conducted by Zhang Ming, chief conductor of the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, and will feature outstanding performers such as Luo Meng, Xiang Di, Liu Fanhe, etc., showcasing the talents accumulated by the Beijing Chinese Orchestra over the years.

Translator: BAI Jing

Editor: ZHOU Huilin