From July 4th to 28th, the National Centre for the Performing Arts will host its annual "Roam about the Classics" series of concerts as scheduled. Over 25 days, under the theme of "Meeting Friends through Music," 16 concerts consisting of 20 performances will be presented consecutively. These concerts will showcase dialogues spanning diverse musical instruments, styles, and artistic forms.
The foundation of the "Roam about the Classics" series lies in classical music masterpieces. From July 9th to 10th, Lv Jia will conduct the China NCPA Orchestra in a tribute to composer Bruckner's 200th birth anniversary with his monumental work, "Symphony No. 5," lasting approximately 80 minutes. On July 13th, Liao Guomin will lead the China Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" and Brahms' "Piano Concerto No. 2." On July 16th, Zhang Yi will collaborate with the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra to present Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 4." Finally, from July 19th to 20th, pianist Chen Sa will join several chamber musicians in performing piano adaptations of Bach's harpsichord works.
Chinese culture will also feature prominently in this year's "Strolling Classics" series. On July 11th, at the China National Opera House, the vocal concert "Chinese Classical Poetry and Lyrics" will commence, blending ancient and modern, poetry and song, and sound and art, featuring renowned singers such as Yao Hong. On July 17th, under the baton of Xu Zhijun, the China Conservatory of Music Folk Orchestra will collaborate with vocalist Wu Bixia to bring the classic melodies of the 1987 version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" to the stage, alongside Huqin master Song Fei performing "Thoughts on the Great Wall." On July 21st and 27th, the Beijing Chinese Orchestra and the Orchestra of Changchun Film Studio will respectively perform the "Confucius Fantasy Suite" and classic film scores.
The "Strolling Classics" series will feature diverse and innovative musical collaborations. From July 4th to 5th, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic will roam freely between classical and pop music, opening the series with boundary-crossing classical crossover pieces. On July 14th, erhu virtuoso Jiang Jianhua will join friends Yang Baoyuan, Mo Mo, and Huang Jianyi on stage to explore the fusion of erhu and jazz. July 18th will witness a collaboration between the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and actors from the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing in a symphonic concert of "Cuckoo Mountain". On July 26th, conductor Jing Huan and the Guangzhou Symphony Youth Orchestra will team up with cellist Qin Liwei and pipa player Zhang Qiang. Finally, on July 28th, Pablo Mielgo and the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra will present "Iberian Night," showcasing Spanish works throughout the evening.
In addition, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, several French-themed concerts are set to take place. From July 6th to 7th, the National Grand Theater Chorus, led by Li Xincao, will perform classic selections from French operas such as "Romeo and Juliet," "The Pearl Fishers," and "Carmen." On July 14th, violinist Lu Siqing will present a solo concert interpreting "Enchanted by France." On July 25th, on the eve of the Paris Olympics, violinist Huang Mengla and pianist Luo Wei will perform a duet featuring Debussy's "By the Seine," composing a love letter sent from afar to Paris.
Translator: BAI Jing
Reviewer: JIANG Wenyi
