Strings: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on a First and Final Commission from Rautavaara

Strings
By Laurence Vittes

Anne Akiko Meyers called her new CD Fantasia after the transcendent 15-minute-long concerto that Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara wrote for her, which turned out to be the last [composition for violin] he composed before his death in July 2016 at the age of 87. Meyers will give the world premiere of Fantasia in March with the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Michael Stern; the recording was made in London with the Philharmonia conducted by Kristjan Järvi.

Due out early in 2017, the new CD will also include Ravel’s Tzigane, Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and new orchestrations of Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel and Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, by the composer himself. I spoke to Meyers who had just moved to the Pacific Palisades with her husband and two daughters, aged four and six. She was off for an extraordinary roundtrip to Krakow, 15 hours each way, to play the Szymanowski Concerto and the world premiere of Jakub Ciupinski’s The Wreck of the Umbria, precisely scheduled so she would be back in time to take her older daughter to her first day of school.

—Laurence Vittes

Tell me about Einojuhani Rautavaara and Fantasia.
Fantasia means a lot to me. I had known Rautavaara’s music for a long time, since I was a kid who found his music browsing through the CD bins. It became a dream of mine that he would write something for me.

Was Rautavaara the ultimate composer you were after for a commission?
No. I’ve always gone after and harassed composers. I’m always thinking historically: Oistrakh, Auer, Joachim, Heifetz—they were muses for composers. They inspired such great music; just imagine if we had a concerto by Gershwin or Ravel or Rachmaninoff.

I would have just bugged the crap out of Rachmaninoff to write a violin concerto. Of course, plenty of composers say no and run the other way when they see me coming after them, but I’m tenacious.

How did the commission happen?
On a sudden impulse, out of the blue, I contacted Rautavaara’s publisher, Boosey & Hawkes, who put me in touch with him. I wrote and told him I was a big admirer of his. I asked if he would write something for me, he answered with a resounding yes, and sent me the music almost instantaneously, after which I flew to Helsinki to work with him.

What did you ask Rautavaara for?
He was 87 and I didn’t want to tire him out, so I asked for something shorter, a fantasy.

Can you describe Fantasia?
It is music like his Cantus Arcticus, with its electronic birdsongs, and his Angel of Light Symphony [Rautavaara’s Seventh Symphony, written in 1994 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra]: ethereal and mystical. It is a soulful surge of emotion. I cry each time I play it. It was shocking when he passed; this was his last [composition for violin].

How closely did you work with him?
I arrived in Helsinki to find out he hand wrote everything, and it was hard to read. We made many, many changes, but mostly technical things like fingerings. And we changed many of the bowings to make the phrases sing as much as possible; he admitted he never had much confidence in his bowings, which he had in common with a few other composers. Otherwise, there was not one change, not one note, nothing, that I wanted to change.

What did Rautavaara say when he heard it for the first time?
He said, “I wrote such beautiful music.” And I thought, “You really did.”
When did you record the album?
We recorded the whole CD in May, broken up into two sections. We did the electronics part at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City, and everything with the Philharmonia in London. English orchestras are all quick studies, each with its own soul for music.

How did the new orchestration of Morten Lauridsen’s big choral hit come about?
I had been begging Morten for years to write something, really begging him, and he had been saying, “No, no, no, I’ve got a million commissions.” Then he heard me play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in Pasadena, and he said, “I would love to do a special arrangement of this piece for you.” I said, “I’ll take one of those.” And the result is gorgeous.

You’ve made so many successful recordings. What’s your secret?
We laid down the CD in one and a half days of sessions, which were really packed. The secret on all recordings is having a great conductor to manage the time and musical pressures that come with recording, and a wonderful producer to make sure things flow. On Fantasia it was the amazing Wolf Ears Silas Brown and Susan Delgiorno; both were a complete joy.

How do recordings compare to live concerts?
Recordings may be more adventurous; it’s certainly a very different medium and process, but it’s almost impossible to compare. I love to perform live: There’s an electricity, a short fuse—a half hour and it’s over. With a recording, you’re working six hours at a stretch with one 15-minute break. You have to pace yourself, let go, and trust the engineer and producer to create the sound you’ve been working for.

Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) launches in 2017 with renowned musician Yo-Yo Ma as Artistic Director

After nearly two years of planning, the Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) will launch in January 2017. Presented by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture, YMCG is organized by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) and the Xinghai Concert Hall. This unique and meaningful project will become an annual highlight in China in years to come. In fact, the YMCG follows the footsteps of major musical and cultural events in Guangdong province over the past decade, including the Canton International Summer Music Academy (2005–2007) and the Canton Asian Music Festival (2010) that had shown the region’s potential to reach out to the world. The YMCG’s Artistic Director is none other than internationally renowned artist Yo-Yo Ma, who accepted the invitation by GSO’s Music Director Maestro Long Yu to lead this meaningful and multi-faceted project.

A world-famous musician and an old friend of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma made his GSO debut in 2010 in the closing concert of the Canton Asian Music Festival under the baton of Maestro Long Yu and has since returned twice to perform with the orchestra. Mr. Ma has an unrivalled depth and breadth of artistic experience, and is among the most revered artists in the world today. With his versatility and all-embracing visionary zeal, the YMCG will bear the imprint of his unique ideas on the arts and beyond. The inaugural YMCG will surely launch on a high note.

The inaugural YMCG, scheduled between January 7 and 20, 2017, entails the founding of a youth orchestra comprised of young musicians and students under age 35 from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, brought together through by audition or invitation, working together during the two-week project. Celebrated American conductor Michael Stern will serve as the orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor. The orchestra will be coached by a distinguished 12-member faculty, each personally selected by Mr. Yo-Yo Ma. Faculty members include Lynn Chang, Mike Block, Liang Wang, Kinan Azmeh, Joseph Gramley, Tina Blythe, Reylon Yount and Wu Tong, among others. The YMCG Orchestra is founded on the overriding principle of gathering people from diverse backgrounds and fostering meaningful interaction. There will be a series of public activities in Guangzhou from January 7 to January 15. Orchestra members participate not only in performances, master classes, seminars and cultural exchange, but also extend their engagement beyond classical music into broader cultural spheres. Most performances will offer tickets to the public at low prices; some will even be free of charge. A brief tour of Hong Kong and Macao is also scheduled for the YMCG Orchestra during the project’s second week.

Artistic Director Yo-Yo Ma shared his thoughts on the YMCG’s missions and goals: “Music—like the other arts, humanities, and sciences—is at the heart of culture. And culture is the tool that our society uses to discover truth, create trust, and share meaning. When humans play, or sing, or write, or explore, we not only create beauty and knowledge, but we also help to develop solutions to our greatest challenges. I believe that any musician or artist should not only be technically proficient, but also be mindful of the power of their art and the need for it in their world. It is with this in mind that I invite people to participate in the first YMCG. Hosted by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and staffed by faculty from around the world, this seminar aims to create trust and connect young musicians from China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Our curriculum will address both musicianship and citizenship. It will be led by a distinguished group of faculty drawn from the worlds of music and education—from the Silk Road Ensemble to Harvard University and elsewhere. It will deepen the participants’ understanding of classical style, develop flexible thinking through participation in different genres of music, and ask them to practice core artistic values such as curiosity, connection, and collaboration. When combined with discussion of how music can respond to the needs of others, we hope that this approach will create powerful, memorable moments that will encourage empathy, hope, and understanding. We hope that the YMCG will leave participants not only with a wonderful musical experience, but also with new skills and inspirations about the powerful role that music and musicians can play in our increasingly complex 21st-century world.” Yo-Yo Ma hopes young musicians who participate in the YMCG project can ponder three core issues—Content (“How to understand music?”), Communication and Reception (“Whose need does music meet? Yourself, the audience or the composer?”). Answers to these philosophical questions will provide benefits for a lifetime.

According to YMCG project organizers, up to now, no other music festival in mainland China has been founded on addressing young people on an international level. Guangdong province has always been a pioneer on many fronts throughout history, and the founding of YMCG this year is most timely. Not only does the province enjoy one of the country’s strongest economies, but its cultural foundation and global connections are also enviable. Guangzhou ranks among China’s first-tier cities and enjoys one of the longest histories as a port open for foreign trade; it has been a business center in the region for more than a millennium. Guangzhou is also a major city along the coastal Silk Road with a deep and rich cultural heritage. The YMCG will open a door through which people can see both outside and inside China. As an annual arts and cultural project, the YMCG will provide a veritable platform for deepening understanding, increasing trust, and fostering cultural interaction among young people

Pianist Haochen Zhang returns to Fort Worth for Cliburn concerts

Van Cliburn, left, joins Haochen Zhang’s victory celebration in this 2009 photo. Credit: Anonymous, AP archives

Star-Telegram
By Punch Shaw

For 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist Haochen Zhang, the key to success as a musician is simple.

“Just open up your ears,” said Zhang, who will be performing with the Brentano String Quartet in concerts presented by the Cliburn on Thursday and Friday.

That seems pretty obvious. But it should be pointed out that the Chinese pianist has to keep his hearing in good shape for the performance hall, despite spending a staggering amount of time in airplanes, where ears can open and close during and after the flights.

The pianist makes his home in Philadelphia, where he graduated from the Curtis Institute in 2012. He chatted via Skype last week from a city near his native Shanghai, where he was performing. He had played in Tokyo the night before.

“I have used some tricks in the past, like taking jet lag pills or adjusting sleeping on the plane to the time zone I was flying into,” he said. “But I have learned that time is the best cure [for jet lag].”

Zhang, 26, has logged plenty of air miles since the 2009 competition where, at age 19, he was the youngest pianist to ever earn a gold medal in the Cliburn.

And he credits that competition, at which Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii also received a gold medal, as being a major springboard to his active career. He cited an international tour with the Munich Philharmonic and maestro Lorin Maazel as one of his career highlights since the Cliburn.

“It not just about getting a prize, but about getting all these opportunities that train you to be a professional soloist,” said Zhang, citing the three years of engagements that come with the Cliburn’s top prize. “Through the competition, I have matured so much, both as a musician and as a human being.

“Touring all these places, performing all the time and meeting people of different cultures has really opened up my vision of the world and of music.”

Zhang also credits the competition experience and resulting tours with making him more comfortable at the piano bench.

“I think I was somewhat shy in the beginning. So my attitude toward playing was a little contained,” he said. “And I am still an introverted person. I don’t approach performing in a very outgoing, extremely romantic way, like a lot of young pianists would.

“But now it seems so natural that I don’t have to prepare myself to play, psychologically, as much as I once did. I would say that I have definitely opened up more as a result of performing all the time.”

And when Zhang talks about “open ears,” it really has more to do with performance practice than cabin pressure — and especially chamber music performances.

“Pianists are naturally soloists. So we don’t usually have to compromise in any way,” he said. “But when you are too comfortable in that zone, then you have your ears entirely closed.

“The important thing for chamber music, though, is to always open up your ears. That’s why I wish that all pianists could have more opportunities to play chamber music more often.”

Zhang performed with the Takacs Quartet when he competed in the 2009 Cliburn. The Brentano String Quartet performed with the semifinalists at the 2013 Cliburn and will return for the 2017 competition.

During this week’s concerts, Zhang and the quartet will be performing Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor. Zhang will play Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor , and the Brentano will perform Beethoven’s String Quartet in F major, Op. 135.

The chamber setting, Zhang said, requires a pianist who is used to performing alone or taking the lead in a concerto performance with an orchestra to be more of a team player.

“The key to chamber music is that there is no ego involved,” he said. “I think everyone puts their ego down to serve the music. If there is solo voice, that’s the voice everyone should be responding to. In other situations, you may need to be an accompanist or a collaborator. The only role you really have is to open your ears and listen to what the other people are doing, and react.”

The 2017 Cliburn competition will be webcast throughout China next summer, foundation officials have said — the first time a Cliburn competition will be webcast in the country.

Since Zhang was speaking from his native China, it seemed appropriate to seek his take on the state of classical music there.

“[Classical music] is still evolving and improving at a very fast pace,” he said. “Five years ago we were all still complaining about Chinese audiences not being mannerly enough. They made noise. They chatted. They would applaud between movements. There was no cultural understanding of how to behave at a classical concert.

“But every time I go back to play in China now, the audiences are behaving better, especially when I go back to big cities. So I think the outlook is optimistic for classical music in China.”

And it is, particularly, for the younger generations, he said.

“I would say that ages 20 to 40 are the central demographic,” he said. “A lot of college students and young professionals come to the concerts.”

Classical Movements at 24: Changing the World Through Music

Back in the U.S.S.R.: "Slava" conducts the National Symphony and the Choral Arts Society of Washington.

RUSSIA, 1993—Mstislav Rostropovich is invited back to his native Russia, having defected in 1974. In those two decades, both the cellist, and his homeland, had drastically changed. What a homecoming it was, then, when now-Maestro "Slava" and the National Symphony Orchestra returned with a chorus nearly 200-strong. With just two months’ notice, Blue Heart Travel (what would become Classical Movements) arranged a landmark tour for the Choral Arts Society of Washington, culminating in the first-ever concert broadcast from Moscow's Red Square.

Not pictured: President Zemin conducting that night's encore, a Sousa march.

CHINA, 1999—After playing Bernstein, Gershwin and Copland for Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the Clinton White House, at President Zemin's request, Classical Movements is honored to arrange for the Leonard Slatkin-led National Symphony to perform Dvorak, Schumann and Mussorgsky at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It's one of many stops on the NSO's 18-day tour of China and Japan.

The late NYPO music director, Kurt Masur.

TUESDSAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - Classical Movements has the entire New York Philharmonic on tour in Europe. Company president Neeta Helms recalls, “By the time they took off from Hanover and landed in Frankfurt, the travel world, as we knew it, had changed forever." For four long days, all flights in and out of the U.S. were grounded. By Saturday, September 15, every last member of the New York Phil was on the first flight home.

Maestro Leonard Slatkin pauses for a picture with both NSO and INSO musicians.

IRAQ, 2003—The U.S. State Department and the Kennedy Center invite the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra to perform in Washington, alongside the National Symphony. With anti-aircraft missiles still lighting up the sky above Baghdad, flying the INSO out of Iraq proved difficult for Classical Movements. Moreover, many of the Iraqi musicians did not have basic travel documents; visas had to be issued in a country with no government. Military aircraft flew the orchestra to Jordan, and they landed in D.C. during a major blizzard.

The "Dude" leads Dr. José Antonio Abreu'sband.

VENEZUELA, 2007—Askonas Holt invites Classical Movements to organize the first U.S. tour for the 265-plus members of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, conducted by a then-27-year-old Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel. Venues include Carnegie Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, Davies Hall in San Francisco and an eventual home for that charismatic leader: the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, California. "Dudamel is absolutely revelatory," writes the L.A. Times.

"Broadcast yourself," indeed, with Classical Movements.

CYBERSPACE, 2009—Google, still Classical Movements' only for-profit client, contracts out all travel and logistics for the debut of its YouTube Symphony Orchestra, where musicians (and all of their instruments) from across the globe finally meet up at Carnegie Hall. It's such a successful venture for all parties, there's a reprise, two years later, at Australia's Sydney Opera House.

Combined Ihlombe! Choral Festival participants at the foot of Signal Hill in Cape Town. 

SOUTH AFRICA, 2009—By 1994, with the election of Nelson Mandela and the full abolition of apartheid, Blue Heart Travel was officially touring to South Africa. To celebrate 15 years there, and especially since Classical Movements' Rhapsody! and Melodia! Choral Festivals had become such hits in Europe and South America, respectively, Ihlombe! (pronounced "Ish-LOM-bay") is launched. The Zulu word for "applause," Ihlombe! quickly becomes the largest international choral gathering in the country.

Tony Ross, Minnesota's principal cello, shares some techniques with a Cuban student.

CUBA, 2015—Likewise, Blue Heart had been taking sanctioned tours to otherwise forbidden countries like Cuba, Vietnam and Syria since President Clinton's first term. “We knew Cuba held such a singular place in American’s minds and hearts," remembers Ms. Helms. With little more than 100 days’ notice, the Minnesota Orchestra tells Classical Movements they want to go, too. Leveraging its well-established ties to bypass decades of diplomatic stalemate, the tour is a triumph, including two performances at the Teatro Nacional, as well as outreach workshops with Cuban music students. The concerts are broadcast live, around the world, a substantial achievement, itself.

The Violin Channel: Prizes Awarded at American Boulder International Duo Competition

Violin Channel

American cellist Julian Schwarz and Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki have been awarded 1st prize at the 2016 ‘Art of the Duo’ Boulder International Chamber Music Competition, in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Both graduates of the Juilliard School, Julian is a former 1st prize winner at the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition.

The duo will receive US $7,000 – plus a number of important concert engagements throughout the Boulder area during the 2017/2018 season.

2nd prize was awarded to American cellist Coleman Itzkoff and Armenian pianist Alin Melik-Adamyan.

3rd prize was awarded to Japanese violin and piano duo Hiroka Matsumoto and Gaku Sugibayashi.

JULIAN SCHWARZ & MARIKA BOURNAKI | DEBUSSY CELLO SONATA | 2015 EASTERN MUSIC FESTIVAL

Antarctica Choir Tour - April Fools' Joke Turns to Reality

Antarctica Choir Tour
Concerts in Antarctica, Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, & Aboard Cruise Ship
December 29, 2017 - January 14, 2018 (17-day, 15-night tour)

What started as an April Fools’ joke has turned into a once-in-a-lifetime musical
experience. On April 1, 2014 Classical Movements sent what was intended to be a prank email to their choral clients, encouraging them to consider touring in Antarctica and announcing a made-up choral festival. To the company’s astonishment, interest from choirs, conductors, and enthusiastic individuals flooded in; this was just the tip of the iceberg. Two years later, what seemed like a harmless joke and impossible feat has become a reality.

At the end of December 2017, including New Year’s Eve, singers from all over the world are invited to meet in Buenos Aires, Argentina for two days of intensive rehearsals with Maestro Oscar Escalada. The group will then travel to Ushuaia, the departure point to Antarctica and the southernmost city in the world, often referred to as fin del mundo (end of the world). The first concert of the tour will take place in one of Ushuaia’s churches on New Year’s Day.

The next nine days will be spent on board a cruise ship, where the singers will give two concerts and a weather (and penguin) permitting performance on the mainland of Antarctica. Classical Movements will also facilitate any possible tours and explorations to view some of the continent’s stunning scenery and rare wildlife, and provide the opportunity to hear lectures by scientists, biologists, photographers, and other expedition staff.

The final three days of the tour will bring the group back to Buenos Aires for a final concert in one of the city’s historic churches, and will offer the chance for travelers to explore Argentina’s capital.

The cruise portion of the Antarctica Choir Tour will take place aboard the G Expedition, the signature ship of G Adventures, a partner company of National Geographic. Classical Movements chose G Adventures based on their excellent safety record and 25 years of experience “putting travelers on a first-name basis with the planet’s people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife”. The relatively small size of the G Expedition (134 passengers total), which was completely refurbished in 2009, will allow for a more personalized, intimate experience and enables access to areas not accessible by larger vessels. All cabins feature ocean-facing windows and en-suite facilities.

This is an exclusive Classical Movements offer with only 50 available places. They expect to sell out.

Learn more here.

Global Times: Tan Dun and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra perform at The Orange

A part of the ongoing Beijing Music Festival (BMF), Chinese conductor Tan Dun presented a concert on Saturday at The Orange in Beijing with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. 

The one-hour mini concert, which marked the 15th anniversary of Tan and the BMF's collaboration, included two pieces from Tan: Secret of Wind and Birds and Farewell My Concubine. 

According to the conductor, Secret of Wind and Birds was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. Before the concert, Tan uploaded recordings of bird sounds made using musical instruments that audiences could download to their smartphones. During the performance, Tan gave cues to the audience to play the recordings, so they could become part of the orchestra themselves.  

Farewell My Concubine combines Peking Opera with piano to tell the life story of Yu Ji, a concubine that lived during the 3rd century BC.

Beijing Music Festival Pays Tribute to William Shakespeare

The Beijing Music Festival (BMF), having opened to record crowds this season, will kick off a series of events honoring the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The highlight of this homage will be a production of Benjamin Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, directed by Robert Carsen in collaboration with the Festival d’Aix en Provence. Not only has this 1991 production never been seen outside of Europe--this will be the first-ever performance of Britten’s 20th century masterpiece in China.

A “Cross-Over Celebration”
The BMF is will commemorate William Shakespeare with a selection of musical works related to and inspired by his plays. Highlights include Mendelssohn’s Overture from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream (October 10th) performed by the West Australian Symphony, as well as Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” Overture-Fantasy, Richard Strauss’ “Macbeth”, William Walton’s “As you Like It”, and Vaughn Williams’ “Serenade to Music”, performed by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Guangzhou Youth Orchestra. But BMF director Tu Song highlights Britten’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” as the main event: “We have invited world famous drama director Robert Carsen…to make something new under an old title”. Carsen is noted in China for his highly successful 2010 staging of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” in Shanghai. The opera will be accompanied by the China Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Stuart Bedford.

The BMF has a tradition of celebrating anniversaries with musical tributes. In 2006 the festival paid homage to Mozart and Shostakovich for their 250th and 100th birthday’s respectively. Other anniversaries have included Wagner, Verdi, Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Chopin.  

About the Beijing Music Festival
Held over 4 weeks every October, BMF is the most important cultural event in China. The Festival and its Founder and Artistic Director, Maestro Long Yu, pioneer China’s unique musical voice. The festival has presented numerous historical performances such as the China premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (2002), the Asian premiere of Alban Berg's opera, “Lulu” (2002); Guo Wenjing's operas, “Ye Yan” (2003) and “Wolf Club Village” (2003); and the China premiere of Richard Wagner's complete Ring Cycle (2005). BMF’s co-commission with Opera Boston, “Madame White Snake,” was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize.

Newly Appointed NY Phil Conductor to Lead Closing Concert in Beijing

The Beijing Music Festival (BMF) will culminate this Saturday, October 29, in a closing concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic under the baton of famed Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden. The soon-to-be Maestro of the New York Philharmonic, van Zweden comes to Beijing as the final of three city appearances in mainland China this week, returning to the country after a highly acclaimed tour in 2014 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. The program will feature a solo performance by Chinese violinist Tianwa Yang, recent winner of the prestigious ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year Award. 

A New Commission and a Star Violinist
The eclectic program will open with “Quintessence”, a new worked by Hong Kong composer Fung Lam, commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmonic with the generous support of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.  Next will be Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D, K218, featuring virtuoso Tianwa Yang. Closing the evening will be Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”).

The program makes its way around mainland China this week in Shanghai and Tianjin before coming to Beijing.

The closing concert will mark the end of a highly successful three-week music festival with a record turnout and many spectacular firsts, including a 3D mini-opera production and a brand new Don Giovanni featuring state-of-the-art theatrical effects. President and Artistic Director Long Yu said of this bitter-sweet close: “We’ve come a long way and there’s still a long way to go. So I’d like to say thanks to all the people who have supported us for so many years.”

Currently Jaap van Zweden is Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and has been Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra since 2012. In that year he was named Musical America's Conductor of the Year.

The HK Philharmonic is recognized as Asia’s premiere classical orchestra, performing over 150 concerts per year. Recent guest artists have included Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ning Feng, Matthias Goerne, Lang Lang, Yu Long, Yundi Li, the late Lorin Maazel, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yuja Wang.

About the Beijing Music Festival
Held over 4 weeks every October, BMF is the most important cultural event in China. The Festival and its Founder and Artistic Director, Maestro Long Yu, pioneer China’s unique musical voice. The festival has presented numerous historical performances such as the China premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (2002), the Asian premiere of Alban Berg's opera, “Lulu” (2002); Guo Wenjing's operas, “Ye Yan” (2003) and “Wolf Club Village” (2003); and the China premiere of Richard Wagner's complete Ring Cycle (2005). BMF’s co-commission with Opera Boston, “Madame White Snake,” was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize.

19th Beijing Music Festival Opens to Record Crowds

Long Yu, President and Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival (BMF) Announces 19th Season. Photo: Beijing Music Festival

The Beijing Music Festival (BMF) opened its annual classical music festival last Sunday with a concert by the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of Maestro Lü Jia. This marked the first collaboration between BMF and NCPA. The concert, which featured symphonies and choral works by Brahms and Shostakovich, elicited several standing ovations from the sold-out crowd.

Festival to Celebrate “Musical Legacy and Innovation”

After nearly two decades as China’s leading cultural event, the 19th BMF will present 30 shows covering a wide range of music genres such as opera, symphony, ethnic music, crossover, and more. As in previous years, there will be public activities that include children's musical, urban musical, Chinese music concert, as well as music-themed seminars, lectures and dialogues. The festival runs from October 9th to 29th.

Music of Old Masters Performed by New Artists

Highlights of the 19th BMF include the China premiere of Britten’s opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on October 15th and 16th (the first production in a 5-year partnership with Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), a 3D-chamber opera “Blank Out” by Dutch composer Michel van der Aa (October 20th and 21st), Mozart’s operatic masterpiece “Don Giovanni” featuring site-specific immersive theatrics and technology (Oct. 12 to 14th), and multimedia performances of Schubert’s song cycle “Die Winterreise” (October 26th to 28th).

Other highlights include the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev (October 26th to 28th), concerts with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (October 10th) featuring French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (October 23rd and 24th), Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Youth Orchestra (October 22nd), virtuoso organist Cameron Carpenter (October 25th), and a closing concert with the Hong Kong Philharmonic led by Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden (October 29th).

About the Beijing Music Festival

Held over 4 weeks every October, BMF is the most important cultural event in China. The Festival and its Founder and Artistic Director, Maestro Long Yu, pioneer China’s unique musical voice. The festival has presented numerous historical performances such as the China premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (2002), the Asian premiere of Alban Berg's opera, “Lulu” (2002); Guo Wenjing's operas, “Ye Yan” (2003) and “Wolf Club Village” (2003); and the China premiere of Richard Wagner's complete Ring Cycle (2005). BMF’s co-commission with Opera Boston, “Madame White Snake,” was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize.