Maestro's greatest hits

Beijing Symphony Orchestra will give a concert featuring the arias of renowned Chinese composer Jin Xiang's operas at the Beijing Concert Hall on September 15. Tan Lihua will take the baton, while sopranos Han Yanwen and You Hongfei, tenors Ding Yi and Wei Song will perform.

The programs include arias, duets and choirs selected from Eight Women Jump Into the River, Savage Land, Taxiwayi - Beloved Troubadour, Beautiful Warrior, Native Fatal Woman, The King of Chu, Sunrise and A Warm Breeze Outside.

Born in 1935, Jin (pictured) is a renowned Chinese composer, conductor, and music critic whose works have been performed around the world. He learned to play piano at the age of 7 and later learned cello, composing and conducting at China Central Conservatory of Music.

In the 1950s, he joined the Folk Music Research Institute of the Central Conservatory to research the folk and ethnic music of Shaanxi Province. He composes for both Western and Chinese instruments, combining contemporary Western techniques with an Eastern aesthetic.

His award-winning works range from symphonies to background music for film and TV and his Savage Land is the only Chinese opera ever performed by a leading US opera company. Jin is also the founder and Artistic Director of the East-West Music Exchange Association, a not-for-profit organization based in the United States with the mission of promoting international understanding through music.

Time: 7:30 pm

Place: No 1 Beixinhua Street, Xicheng District

Tel: 66057006, 6605 5812

(China Daily 09/08/2007 page6)