09/08/2023
Music· Youth· Future ·Attitude - A Golden Autumn Gathering Invitation from The 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival
*Beijing, August 9* - The official press conference for the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival is held at the Divine Music Administration, Temple of Heaven, Beijing, unveiling the festival's theme, program highlights, performance lineup, and series of charitable activities.
Under the theme Music· Youth· Future· Attitude, the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival is scheduled to open on September 22 till October 15, spanning 24 days. The festival will showcase 25 diverse and rich musical performances, encompassing various forms such as opera debuts, new commissioned works, recitals and chamber music, visual symphonic concerts, and more. Esteemed musicians and performing groups from China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and other countries will gather, with a special emphasis on highlighting the youthful energy in the world of classical music. The festival aims to offer audiences a glimpse into the future of classical music culture through fresh talent and innovative compositions. In the meanwhile, this year's Beijing Music Festival will delve deep into Beijing's classical music heritage, paying tribute to revered masters with new commissioned works and incorporating the city's famous gardens to create novel musical experiences rooted in Beijing's historical legacy. Furthermore, the festival will present a special series of urban music events tailored for the younger generation. Through continuous enrichment of the Chinese musical concept and a combination of innovative modes and content, the festival reinforces its role as a platform bridging China and the world in the realm of arts. Collaborating with renowned international classical music institutions, the festival contributes to the preservation and inheritance of cultural spirit in the capital.
Continuing its commitment to charity, this year’s Beijing Music Festival will not only present captivating performances but also feature a series of charitable concerts and activities. These include children's music concerts, masterclasses, guided tours, open rehearsals, and artist dialogues, enriching the audience's engagement with the festival.
I. Focus on Youth Development, Creating a Solid Platform
In 2023, as the performing arts industry recovers, and international cultural exchanges resume, the Beijing Music Festival embraces a fresh start with the theme Music, Youth, Future, & Attitude aiming to support young musicians and create a brand-new professional classical music festival with innovative concepts and experiences. The festival endeavors to provide a platform for young musicians to showcase their talents, allowing the world to hear the voices of young Chinese musicians. This aspiration has been the driving force and mission behind the festival's founder and Artistic Committee Chairman, Long Yu - 余隆, for many years.
"The classical music culture of China is at a turning point towards a new future, and the key to taking that crucial step from today to the future lies in amplifying the voices of young Chinese musicians on the world stage. The Beijing Music Festival will serve as the starting point for young Chinese musicians to step onto the global stage, making it the focal point of attention for the world regarding young Chinese musicians and a new starting point for the future of China's music industry," expressed Long Yu with great hope and confidence in young musicians and the solid platform the festival provides for them.
This year, under the artistic direction of Zou Shuang, the Beijing Music Festival has taken the initiative to provide an upgraded platform for more young musicians, bringing together China's young musical talents for a grand gathering of music. With new program planning and comprehensive service design, the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival restarts in a biennial format, turning this city into a music hub during the golden autumn season. Young musicians such as Laufey Lin Bing, combining singing, composing, and cello playing, young conductors Jin Yukuang, Sun Yifan, and Yu Ji, young instrumentalists Mei Diyang, Mo Mo, Lin Ruifeng, Ju Xiaofu, Sun Jiayi, Zhang Haotian, and Nie Jiapeng, young vocalists Wang Yunpeng, Liu Shen, and Han Yinpei, among others, will be prominent faces appearing in various performance series throughout the festival. Mei Diyang, a young violist, will collaborate with the Berliner Barock Solisten, while Lin Ruifeng, a young violinist, will join the London Sinfonietta as a special guest. Jazz talent Laufey Lin Bing will make her debut in China, collaborating with the China Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, young conductor John Warner from the UK will lead the Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra through a century-long dialogue with Mahler's classic works, presenting new works from Chinese and foreign young composers born between the 1970s and 2000s. This year's festival will be a true renaissance of music exchange and a grand gathering of young musicians from China and around the world.
In collaboration with the Dahua City Center for the Performing Arts, the Beijing Music Festival will present a performance of Haydn's opera Il Mondo della Luna conducted by the young conductor Yu Ji and performed by Chinese young vocalists, marking the Chinese premiere of this renowned Haydn opera and forging a deep connection with young musicians.
The Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra, comprising young musicians from various European countries, will participate as the resident orchestra in the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival. The four concerts presented this year will be crafted as a grand gathering for the exchange of young musicians from China and abroad. Works by young composers such as Huang Ruo, Wang Ying, Sasha Scott, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Wang Feinan, Shen Yiwen, and Li Zhenyan will engage in a dialogue with the classic works of Mahler on stage, alongside contemporary masters Messiaen and George Benjamin. Prominent young musicians such as renowned sheng player Wu Wei, countertenor Liu Shen, pianist Ju Xiaofu, baritone Wang Yunpeng, and mezzo-soprano Han Yinpei will also take the stage in these four concerts. The fourth concert will serve as the closing performance of this year's Beijing Music Festival, with the Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra and China's New Classical Chamber Orchestra performing together. They will open the festival with Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World, ushering in a new chapter for the next quarter-century.
II. New Works Abound, Reinventing "Chinese Concept"
In 2002, Long Yu, Chairman of the Beijing Music Festival, first introduced the concept of "Chinese Concept," and since then, the festival has continuously featured commissioned works representing China's voice. This year, the festival's mechanism encouraging new compositions will further enrich the list of commissioned works. It will not only showcase new pieces by Chinese composers but also focus on collaboration and exchange with young composers and international talents, adding a fresh dimension to the "Chinese Concept."
The opening concert of the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival, titled "Commemorating Liu Tianhua and the 101st Anniversary of the Founding of the Peking University Music Training Institute," will witness the world premiere of the Fantastic Symphonic Suite Homage to Liu Tianhua. Commissioned jointly by the Beijing Music Festival and the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, the suite is composed by Zou Ye, based on Liu Tianhua's instrumental works such as Joyful Night, Improvement Exercise, Marching on a Bright Road, and others. The concert will be conducted by young conductor Yang Yang and feature the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beijing Chinese Orchestra, cellist Mo Mo, and soprano Zhang Liping. This musical extravaganza, paying homage to history, will combine elements of both Chinese and Western symphonic styles, exploring new methods of blending symphonic music with Chinese musical art. Additionally, the festival will present the Chinese premiere of the new original symphonic dance The Monkey King, a joint commission between the Mahler Foundation and the Beijing Music Festival. This piece will blend elements of folk music, modern music aesthetics, the colors of traditional Chinese instruments, the liveliness of jazz, and the symphonic grandeur, offering a fresh interpretation of classical works with a distinctive Chinese and international musical language. These two new commissioned works pay tribute to Chinese traditional music from different perspectives, enriching the artistic connotation of classic works in the modern era and expanding and enriching the creative spirit of the "Chinese Concept."
Continuing the tradition of the "Chinese Concept," this year's festival, under the full support of Artistic Director Zou Shuang, will witness deep cooperation between the Mahler Foundation and the Beijing Music Festival. Four spectacular concerts will be presented under the theme of "Dialoguing with Mahler's Works," featuring prominent young composers from China and abroad. Among them, works by Huang Ruo and Wang Ying will have their Chinese premieres, while Sarah Scott, Wang Feinan, and Li Zhenyan will present new concepts through commissioned works from the Beijing Music Festival. The dialogue between young composers' new works and the masterpieces exemplifies the distinct styles and artistic thoughts of musicians from different eras, providing a panoramic display of the stylistic variety of contemporary music and highlighting the festival's visionary program planning.
III. Diversified Performances Create New Experiences, Music and Life Interconnected
The theme “Future, Attitude” in this year's Beijing Music Festival signifies the exploration of new experiences and models through various innovations. The festival aims to combine classical music culture with modern technology and media, integrating into urban life, creating a new atmosphere for broader public engagement in classical music culture, and bringing changes and influences to the classical music industry. Since its inception, the Beijing Music Festival has been a pioneer in promoting domestic commissioned compositions, advocating the "Chinese Concept," and introducing new concepts such as Chinese opera return, German-Austrian opera, and immersive opera. The festival maintains its leading position in the industry with its great innovative power, serving as a trailblazer for the development of Chinese classical music culture. In 2020, the Beijing Music Festival took the theme "Music Never Stops" and led the way into the era of classical music live-streaming and online content planning, breaking boundaries with an unprecedented 240-hour uninterrupted online presentation. Now, in the opening of this second quarter-century, we will take a unique approach to lead music enthusiasts back to live music experiences, with the much-anticipated festival welcoming audiences in an "offline-only" format, capturing the most beautiful moments in a series of upgraded live music experiences.
“Future, & Attitude” signifies that the Beijing Music Festival will continue its momentum of innovation, break traditional viewing patterns, and create new contexts for cultural communication. Artistic Director Zou Shuang elaborates, "The Beijing Music Festival has always been the most innovative artistic institution in China. We want to bring the festival closer to more young people, incorporate the passion of young musicians, break traditional viewing patterns, further integrate music into our way of life, and provide audiences with more avenues to immerse themselves in classical music culture. Moreover, we aim to inspire more young artists to engage in cutting-edge artistic creation, provide opportunities for more young talents, and present more works embodying a future attitude, using the collective power of youth to resonate with the world."
The festival will stage Pastoral for the Planet a visual symphony by Spain's avant-garde theatre troupe La Fura dels Baus. This multimedia concert combines installation, performance, visuals, and sound, and is presented by the newly appointed Music Director, Huang Yi, with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. The audience will interact with the performance using a mobile app, bridging the gap between Earth's hymn and environmental themes and the daily lives of spectators, leading them into deep contemplation. Young pianist Zhang Haotian will combine live music performances with the release of "digital art collections," collaborating across disciplines with blockchain artists, exploring new dimensions of artistic exploration for the festival.
For years, the Beijing Music Festival has been organizing the "City Series," integrating classical music into urban life and culture by presenting concerts in various city locations, from the trendy Sanlitun area to the iconic CITIC Tower, and from the Temple of Heaven to the Jingshan Imperial Palace with its historical legacy. This year, the festival will collaborate with the Dahua City Center for the Performing Arts to present the Chinese premiere of Haydn's opera Il Mondo della Luna. Using small-theater opera performances as a starting point, the festival will create a new mode of music experience that seamlessly integrates into city life. Furthermore, the festival will introduce "Medium Theater Opera," featuring a new adaptation of Bartók's opera Bluebeard’s Castle by the UK-based "Voice Theatre," performed by the London Sinfonietta at the Beijing Comedy Theatre. These opera works, presented in medium-sized theaters, allow the audience to immerse themselves in a surreal world and represent a new wave of international opera and musical theater, offering a new starting point for deconstructive creativity of classic works by younger artists. Additionally, the Chinese premiere of composer Hao Weiya's Opera of the Future AI’s Variation will use a semi-staged format to depict a future world where artificial intelligence coexists with humanity, sparking discussions on the ultimate significance of human existence.
The "Music in Parks" series is a special collaboration between the Beijing Music Festival and the Beijing Park Management Center, bringing together high-quality domestic and international chamber music classics with the rich historical and cultural heritage of Beijing. This series will be launched with three afternoon tea concerts at the Divine Music Administration of Temple of Heaven. Three concerts presented are Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute by guqin player Lin Chen and singer Gong Linna, three trios in a chamber concert by Beijing and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and art song concert by tenor Mo Hualun. The combination of the gentle autumn breeze and the cultural charm of Shenlu Palace will provide audiences with a delightful experience of integrating music culture with the ancient capital's atmosphere, offering a rich music and cultural tourism feast unique to Beijing and showcasing the vibrant vitality of classical music in China to the world.
IV. A Meeting of Chinese and Foreign Masters in Beijing, Creating an International Art Feast
With the resumption of international cultural exchanges and performances, the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival will invite renowned international ensembles and artists to join forces with top Chinese orchestras and musicians, creating a world-renowned music and cultural event that adds a new touch to the cultural endeavors of the national cultural center and capital, Beijing.
The opening concert of this year's Beijing Music Festival will be presented by the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Beijing Chinese Orchestra. The world premiere of Suite Homage to Liu Tianhua jointly performed by the two orchestras, will explore the fusion of Chinese and Western symphonic styles, enriching the artistic style of symphonic music and exploring new ways of blending symphonic music with Chinese music. The China Philharmonic Orchestra will also collaborate with young musician Laufey Lin Bing to present the The Allure of Symphonic, Laufey and the China Philharmonic Orchestra Jazz Symphony Concert. The renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun, violin master Daniel Hope, young pianist Sun Jiayi, and cellist Nie JiaPeng will join forces to perform Tan Dun's Martial Arts Trilogy Symphony Concert, presenting the classic film music of composer Tan Dun, which combines traditional Chinese aesthetics with contemporary music aesthetics.
The Shanghai Quartet, celebrating its 40th anniversary, will join forces with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra - 上海交响乐团, the oldest symphony orchestra in Asia, both of which are old friends of the Beijing Music Festival. This reunion of old friends also marks a new beginning for the future. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will also perform Liu Sola’s symphonic dance The Monkey King commissioned jointly by the Beijing Music Festival and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, paying tribute to the brilliant history of Chinese animation over the past century and Chinese classic cultural works.
Under the leadership of the new Artistic Director Huang Yi, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra will participate in the visual symphony Pastoral for the Planet, starting with Beethoven's famous Symphony No. 6 and featuring Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, as well as German composer Carl Weber's symphonic masterpieces Kampf und Sieg and Oberon. These works will be interspersed with songs from Africa and Europe, weaving through the rich ecology of human music culture with the theme of "environment and protection."
Chinese young violist and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's first Chinese member and section principal Mei Diyang will lead the Berliner Barock Solisten Members of Berliner Philharmoniker in a series of Baroque works at the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival. World-renowned violin soloist Daniel Hope will join the lineup as a violin soloist in Tan Dun's Martial Arts Trilogy Symphony Concert. International piano master Sir Stephen Hough will present a piano solo concert at the 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival, performing works by several piano music composing masters and new works composed by himself.
The London Sinfonietta, known for performing contemporary works, last appeared at the Beijing Music Festival in 2012. This year, after a decade from its last appearance, the London Sinfonietta will return with a new version of the opera Bluebeard's Castle and a contemporary chamber music concert. As the resident festival orchestra, the Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra will hold four concerts in collaboration with young countertenor Liu Shen, pianist Ju Xiaofu, baritone Wang Yunpeng, and mezzo-soprano Han Yinpei, among other young musicians. The fourth concert will be the closing concert of this year's festival, with young conductors John Warner and Kim Yook mining the stage. The Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra will also join forces with the New Classical Chamber Orchestra to form the Beijing Music Festival Festival Orchestra, paying tribute to the steadfast pace of the Beijing Music Festival towards the new world with Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, From the New World.
V. Diverse and Colorful Public Welfare Activities, Creating a Panoramic Map of Cultural Capital Music
The 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival will plan and launch more than ten public welfare performances and activities. By organizing different forms of public welfare events, it will cover various audience groups, including professional college students, music enthusiasts, and the general public. Moreover, it will conduct a series of public welfare activities in professional theaters, new performing spaces, community art centers, and other urban spaces, fully utilizing the advantages of being the capital cultural hub to integrate music culture into every corner of the city.
Operas Il Mondo della Luna and Bluebeard's Castle will offer guided tours, covering storylines, vocal highlights, production styles, and stage highlights, making the works more accessible and informative to the audience. Young violist Mei Diyang and pianist Stephen Hough will host a public master class event, providing professional guidance and expanding the music learning concepts for college students and music learners. The Shanghai Quartet and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra concerts, as well as the series of concerts of the Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra, will host open rehearsals, presenting the formation process of a brilliant concert, providing a rich observation opportunity for music enthusiasts.
This year, the Beijing Music Festival will host a Family Day event for the symphonic dance The Monkey King at the famous Grand opera tower in the Summer Palace. Combining the tremendous appeal of the animation The Monkey King to children and the rich musical material of the symphonic dance, it will create a music education event that integrates traditional music, classical opera, and symphonic music art for children.
The Beijing Music Festival's important public welfare brand, the "Children's Concert," will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special concert by the Beijing Philharmonic Choir. As a world-renowned children's choir, the Beijing Philharmonic Choir's history spans the brilliance of different eras, making outstanding contributions to the exchange of children's choirs between China and foreign countries. As one of the first groups to bid for the 1990 Olympics, they subsequently appeared at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony. This year, celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Beijing Philharmonic Choir will celebrate its birthday with songs and provide a chorus party with an immersive experience for young audiences.
This year, the Beijing Music Festival will also collaborate with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's TRI Third Space to launch the Spring Bird Project @ BMF series of concerts, with four concerts scheduled. Themed "Night of the Future" these concerts will be entirely planned, produced, and performed by young musicians, providing an opportunity for young musicians to unleash their artistic imagination and innovation. By participating in the Beijing Music Festival, they will receive attention from a broader national and international audience.
To enhance audience participation and viewing experience, the Beijing Music Festival will launch an Official WeChat Mini Program and a Beijing Music Festival membership system this year. The official WeChat Mini Program will integrate various rich functions and content, including ticket sales, public welfare activity reservations, performance information push, electronic program list, member growth system, and integrated information on transportation and living surrounding the festival. The membership system will design multiple levels of membership, including student membership, providing discounts on ticket purchases, points exchange for peripheral products, and other services, providing more convenience to the general audience.
