A dialogue between Eastern and Western musical traditions unfolded at the Beijing Concert Hall on Oct 31, as the China National Symphony Orchestra presented a concert blending the Romanticism of French composers with the emotions of traditional Chinese opera.
The French Romanticism concert is part of the orchestra's 2026-27 season and the third installment in its "Love and Death" concert series.
Led by Shui Lan, the orchestra's artistic adviser, the performance brought together Spanish pianist Javier Perianes, Kunqu Opera performer Shen Yili, soprano Huo Yuanyuan, and bamboo flute players Fan Linfeng, Zhang Weiben and Zhou Yiming.
The evening opened with The Sky, the first movement of Chinese composer Chen Musheng's Symphonic Peony Pavilion-Heaven. Inspired by The Peony Pavilion, the celebrated Kunqu Opera classic by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) playwright Tang Xianzu, the work brought together spoken and sung passages, three bamboo flutes, soprano, and a full symphony orchestra.
The combination created an unusual musical conversation, placing traditional Chinese opera's expressive nuances alongside the expansive sound of a Western orchestra. Drawing on Tang's exploration of love, dreams, life, and death, the piece set the tone for an evening centered on the intensity of Romanticism.
Perianes joined the orchestra for Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, M 83. The Spanish pianist brought out the work's sunny optimism and playful character, moving between its jazz-inflected rhythms and the refinement of French musical style.
Beneath its lighthearted surface, the concerto also revealed a more introspective dimension, with Perianes and the orchestra highlighting the contrasts between its lively passages and lyrical moments.
After the intermission, the orchestra turned to Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Op 14, a defining work in musical Romanticism.
Under Shui's baton, the five-movement symphony traced the psychological journey of an artist consumed by unrequited love, moving through passion, disillusionment, and increasingly nightmarish visions. Through vivid orchestration, imaginative musical imagery, and dramatic contrasts, the performance brought the protagonist's turbulent inner world to life.
