Reviews: Concert
CCTV Music Channel Gala
The performance on March 25 at Poly Theater, in celebration of the channel's third anniversary, was a showcase of the best and brightest in China's classical music scene. Even though part of the program was truncated for brevity, it was made up for with more glittering star power and a richer variety of choice selections.
On the instrumental front, Li Yundi, with his pop-idol good looks, played with sensitivity the opening section of Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1; Vivaldi's Four Seasons was rendered with virtuosity by four of the nation's top violinists, complete with matching background colors; Xue Wei's complete Butterfly Lovers packed such an emotional wallop that you could feel the flutter of the butterflies. Celebrated cellist Wang Jian infused restrained passion into Dvorak's cello concerto.
On the vocal front, Huang Ying, who flew in from New York for the occasion, delivered a bravura rendition of Juliet's aria with the right combination of coloratura polytechnics and emotional vigor. Zhang Jianyi's Recondita Armonia from Tosca and Fan Jingma's Nessun Dorma from Turandot were both marvels of vocal and dramatic prowess.
The concert will be aired on CCTV Music Channel on March 31, and a companion program highlighting China's traditional instruments is scheduled for April 1. RZ
(China Daily 03/29/2007 page20)
