In perfect harmony

If you love classical music, you will love Beijing in autumn. Every year when all the leaves are brown and the sky is clear, enchanting melodies fly in the brisk air at the Beijing Music Festival (BMF).

Starting in 1998, the annual festival has become the highlight event in Beijing's culture and arts calendar. As one of the leading classical music festivals in the world, the BMF attracts a variety of international musicians and orchestras to perform in Beijing every year.

This year will mark the 10-year anniversary of the event, so how will its loyal fans celebrate?

First of all, the BMF will open tomorrow, half a month earlier than previous years so as to cover the week-long National Day holiday when more people are free to attend the concerts. Secondly, this year's festival, which will end on October 26, is one week longer than previous years - meaning more concerts.

More performances aside, what matters most is that the BMF maintains its artistic quality, bringing a star-studded cast this year plus a special appearance of Lang Lang, one of the most sought-after pianists in the world today.

In the festival, the 25-year-old Lang Lang will play 10 concertos from greats such as Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Mozart, Haydn and Tchaikovsky, collaborating with five world leading orchestras and six established conductors.

"No matter technically, physically or mentally, it's a great challenge for a pianist to play 10 concertos in one month. I admire Lang Lang for his confidence and really appreciate his devotion to the BMF," says Yu Long, founder and chairman of the festival's artistic committee.

"As a Chinese, I feel so proud that we have Lang Lang. On the one hand, he promotes classical music worldwide, attracting more and more young people to classical concerts; on the other hand, he serves as a cultural ambassador for China, leaving the world a young, dynamic and open-minded image of China," says Yu.

Lang Lang himself is thrilled to be taking part in the anniversary celebrations.

"It is a birthday gift for the BMF and a special treat for my fans in Beijing. I will try my best and hope to live up to people's expectation," says Lang Lang.

Tomorrow evening at the Poly Theater, Lang Lang will collaborate with the world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim and his Staatskapelle Berlin to open the festival with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5.

This is the Argentina-born Jewish conductor's debut in China. He is hailed as "one of the few musicians in the world today who could accurately be described as legendary" by The Times.

"It's my dream to invite master Barenboim to China. I attended lots of his rehearsals and concerts when I learned conducting in Berlin. It's great to have him open the 10th BMF," said Yu at the press conference Wednesday afternoon.

"This is not a simple trip to Beijing. To me it is important to play in a country I am courious about for many years," said the conductor who had contact with Chinese musicians in many years and met his first wife some 40 years ago at Chinese pianist Fu Cong's house in the US.

He also has high comment on Lang Lang who has learned with him in last six years and played many concerts with him in Europe.

"Lang Lang brings fresh air to the music world and he is so natural a talent," said he .

At the opening concert, Barenboim will also conduct the Staatskapelle Berlin to play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Leonore Overture No 3. Saturday evening at the same venue, the conductor will collaborate with Lang Lang to play Brahms' Concerto No 1 and Beethoven's Third Symphony.

Lang Lang and Barenboim are just two of the big stars that will feature in this year's BMF. If you check out the brochure, you will find conductor Christoph Eschenbach and his Orchestra de Paris, Jonathan Nott and his Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, conductor Charles Dutoit, cellists Wang Jian and Micsha Maisky, violinists Nigel Kennedy, and composer Krzysztof Pendereckithe.

Many of these musicians will give open master classes at China's Central Conservatory of Music, China Philharmonic Orchestra or Poly Theater.

From the very first year, the BMF has served as a stage where the East meets the West. While bringing the best Western musicians and orchestras to China, the festival devotes itself to promote Chinese musicians and music every year. In previous years, China Philharmonic Orchestra performed the works of the world-famous Chinese composers such as Tan Dun, Guo Wenjing, Ye Xiaogang and Chen Qigang. The BMF also hosted China's premiere of Guo Wenjing's operas The Night Banquet and A Madman's Diary. In addition, Peking Opera plays and Kunqu plays were performed at the BMF stage.

This year, under the baton of its artistic director Yu Long, China Philharmonic Orchestra will play a concert featuring an all-Guo Wenjing's program. Composer Guo will also bring his world-acclaimed opera Poet Li Bai which premiered at the Central City Opera, Colorado on July 7.

Co-commissioned by Central City Opera, for its 75th season, and for the 20th anniversary of Asian Performing Arts of Colorado, and directed by the renowned Chinese theater director Lin Zhaohua, the opera blends post-modern orchestral atmospherics, traditional Peking Opera and a dreamy, imaginative libretto that paints an impressionistic portrait of one of China's greatest poets.

One synergistic delight of the confluence of East and West is the revitalization of the operatic form, as evidenced in the production.

Other highlights include a concert featuring the music composed by 15 Chinese composers such as Zhu Jian'er, He Zhanhao, Jin Xiang, Zhao Jiping, Xi Qiming, Bao Yuankai and others to the poems and songs of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). A number of popular actors and actresses will recite the poems and Wu Zhenyan will choreograph to the music.

Grand New Peking Opera will perform The Prairie, based on the play of the same title by Cao Yu, one of the great playwrights of modern China.

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra will play a concert featuring the works by overseas Chinese composers such as Simon Kong Su Leong, Phoon Yew Tien, Law Wing Fei and Law Wai Lun. Tan Swie Hian will perform Chinese calligraphy at the concert.

In addition, the BMF has commissioned Penderecki to compose Symphony No 8. China Philharmonic Orchestra will premiere the piece together with Tan Dun's Secret Land for Orchestra and 12 Violoncelli. The two composers will respectively conduct the orchestra to play their works so as to form a music dialogue between the West and East.

(China Daily 09/20/2007 page18)