Society

Special high-altitude concert planned in Qinghai

By Song Wei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-07-27 15:34

A symphony concert, which claims to be "unduplicated" and "a feat in human musical history," will be staged at a 4,500-meter-altitude spot on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Golmud, Qinghai province on Aug 15, organizers announced at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

Organizers hold a press conference for the concert "Holy Snow Mountain - Ode to Mt. Kunlun" in Beijing on July 27, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Under the backdrop of snowy mountains, the concert, called "Holy Snow Mountain -Ode to Mt. Kunlun" will be performed at the entrance to one of the peaks of Mt. Kunlun.

"Mt Kunlun is China's Mount Olympus, and it's a mountain where many Chinese mythologies originated from," said Ji Di Ma Jia, the poet who wrote the lyrics for the symphony chorus.

"The praises for Mt. Kunlun shows our respect for civilization, gratitude to nature, and our love for life," he added.

The concert will be performed by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, one of the renowned orchestra teams in China. Only 500 to 700 people will get to witness the 50-minute performance on site.

"Fortunately, people who are not able to make it here can watch it live on the Internet and on TV," Ji Di Ma Jia said.

Both the concert's composer and conductor said they were very much looking forward to the show. The composer, Guo Wenjing, said it would be "a once-in-a-life-time experience" because his works have never been performed on such a high altitude before.

But the conductor, Tan Lihu, also sees the challenge. "It is challenging, for it requires much physical strength."