Beijing Music Festival Announces 21st Season

The 21st Beijing Music Festival Embraces the East and the West; Leads in a New Direction

Through 20 years of artistic and entrepreneurial leadership, the Beijing Music Festival (BMF) has become well known for its thoughtful and pioneering curation of programs from a unique perspective. BMF has not only consistently brought audiences high-quality cultural events, but has also set an artistic standard in terms of professionalism and artistic philosophy that is unique within China - and respected around the world.

On June 26, the Beijing Music Festival Arts Foundation announced the theme, programs, and highlights of the 21st Beijing Music Festival in a press conference held at The Opposite House. With the theme, "Entering the 21st - Dawn of a New Era," the Festival will host 21 performances across three weeks - October 12 to 26 - including 10 performances of 5 operas encompassing fully-staged, semi-staged, immersive theater, and music theater productions; 6 symphonic concerts; 1 chamber concert; 3 performances in mime; and 1 cine-concert. The Festival will also present 13 nonprofit events including children's concerts, masterclasses, forums, opera workshops, and lectures. To expand its reach, the Festival will live broadcast more than half of its events on online platforms including kuke.com.

The 21st Beijing Music Festival continues its efforts to incorporate new ideas and elements in the "Chinese Concept" it has fashioned and refined over the past years, while simultaneously attempting to break through genre barriers in classical music. The opera performances, which form its core, are bound to refresh audiences with their original and avant-garde aspects. Furthermore, BMF 2018 features an unprecedented focus on 20th and 21st century musical creations.

Among the operas, Orfeo, Diary of the One Who Disappeared, and Written on Skin steer BMF in its exploration of theater aesthetics; and the "contemporary national theater," Farewell My Concubine, and the "music theater," The Orphan of Zhao, attempt to reshape the "Chinese Concept." Following last year's cycle of Beethoven's nine symphonies, in 2018 BMF will present Beethoven's complete five piano concertos. Additionally, two symphonic concerts are dedicated to the centenary of the composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.

The 21st BMF boasts a roster of internationally preeminent ensembles and artists including the Philharmonia Orchestra; Tonhalle Orchestra; conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Paavo Järvi; pianists Krystian Zimerman, Rudolf Buchbinder, and Khatia Buniatishvili; as well as cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Reshaping the "Chinese Concept": Farewell My Concubine and The Orphan of Zhao

As a most treasured cultural asset of the Beijing Music Festival, the "Chinese Concept" was first launched at the 5th BMF in 2002 with concerts dedicated to Chinese composers Qigang Chen and Xiaogang Ye. Pioneering the operatic stage in China, BMF then brought home Chinese operas highly acclaimed in Europe, including The Diary of a Mad Man, The Banquet, and The Poet Li Bai by Guo Wenjing; The Wager by Wen Deqing; and topping off with The White Snake by Zhou Long, a Pulitzer Prize-winning opera with worldwide renown. In this way, the "Chinese Concept" has remained a key theme on the stage of the BMF.

Expanding the "Chinese Concept" by staging two music dramas directed by Chen Shi-Zheng - a globally active Chinese director of operas, musicals, and dramas - BMF 2018 extends its focus from Chinese composers and musical works toward Chinese stage directors and artists. Farewell My Concubine, Chen's adaptation of a Peking Opera classic, will be staged on October 12. First premiered in 2012, this contemporary national theater piece fuses multimedia, modern dance, and large-scale Chinese music performance, creating a huge stir in the Chinese art world. BMF's performance will feature artists from Jingju Theater Company of Beijing and the renowned conductor Hu Bingxu.

On October 14, Chen's music theater The Orphan of Zhao, which premiered in 2003 at New York's Lincoln Center, finally receives its first performance in Asia. Reimagining the beauty of Chinese classical drama through heavy Western aesthetics, this work evokes the essence of oriental aesthetics through minimalism, symbolism, and Western actors impersonating Chinese characters in English. Envisioning the two works as a double bill, BMF hopes to expand the exploration of "Chineseness", breaking through the barriers between the East and West, to discover new possibilities latent in traditional Chinese theatrical works, and to introduce Chinese audiences to works by outstanding Chinese artists from overseas.

On October 15 - celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Reform and Opening-Up policy - conductor Tan Lihua leads the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in a concert of Chinese compositions including those by Qing Yang, Peixun Chen, and Yuankai Bao. At the core of the program is the symphonic suite, Embracing the New Era, specifically arranged for the occasion from household Chinese songs such as On the Hopeful Field; Pearl of the East; I Love You, China; among others.

Forging Innovative Operatic Experiences: Orfeo, Diary of the One Who Disappeared, and Written on Skin

While operas still play an important role in the 21st BMF, there are no traditional classics. All three operas presented this year - Orfeo, Diary of the One Who Disappeared, and Written on Skin - are either brand new creations or new adaptations from classics, making the opera selections the "freshest" and "youngest" ever in the history of BMF.

From October 19 to 21 at The Red of Taikoo Li Sanlitun North, BMF will present 5 consecutive performances of Orfeo, an adaptation of Monteverdi's opera by the composer Fay Kueen Wang and the director Shuang Zou. By composing new music for mobile orchestra and electronics - heightening the drama by employing cutting-edge technology - the creators cross over the boundary between Baroque music and 21st-century electronica.

On October 21 and 22, BMF will stage Diary of the One Who Disappeared, a musical theater piece adapted from Czech composer Leoš Janácek's song cycle. Co-commissioned by BMF, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Klara Festival, La Monnaie/De Munt, Kaaitheater, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, and Opera Days Rotterdam, Diary of the One Who Disappeared is produced by Muziektheater Transparant, Belgium, with music composed by Annelies van Parys, and directed by Tony Award-winning Belgian director Ivo van Hove.

On October 23, the audience at Poly Theatre will witness a concert performance of Written on Skin, an operatic masterpiece by renowned British composer George Benjamin. Considered one of the most outstanding 21st-century operas, Written on Skin premiered at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and has been subsequently staged by the Royal Opera, La Scala, and Opéra Paris, among others. It was lauded by many prestigious opera publications as the opera of the year. Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes, known for his interpretation of contemporary operas, will lead the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in the BMF performance, which is the Asian premiere of the opera.

Two Star Conductors Lead Two Top European Orchestras

Apart from the five stage works, the symphonic concerts in BMF 2018 have their own attractions. Prestigious conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Paavo Järvi lead the BMF debuts of Philharmonia Orchestra and the Tonhalle Orchestra Suisse, respectively.

On October 16, Maestro Salonen conducts the Philharmonia in a 20th-century program. One of the preeminent conductors of his generation, Esa-Pekka Salonen is considered an authority in contemporary music with few peers. His 2015 BMF performance made lasting impressions on the audience. This time, he leads the Philharmonia as its principal conductor in a performance of Ravel's Ma mère l'oye, Bernstein's Second Symphony "The Age of Anxiety," and Stravinsky's The Firebird.

On October 24, Maestro Paavo Järvi, who stunned Beijing last year with a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies, leads the Tonhalle Orchestra, whose directorship he recently assumed, in a performance of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto (with Khatia Buniatishvili as soloist), and Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

Master Pianist Zimerman Debuts, Buchbinder Continues his Beethoven Journey

Beijing Music Festival has long presented the "best of the best" among pianists. Martha Argerich, Fou Ts'ong, Ivo Pogorelic, Lang Lang, Maurizio Pollini, and Murray Perahia, among countless others, have made appearances on the BMF's stage. This year, another superstar joins the league: Krystian Zimerman. The elite-level pianist for more than four decades joins Salonen and the Philharmonia in Bernstein's Second Symphony "The Age of Anxiety."

A most celebrated pianist, Zimerman is lauded for his eloquent yet delicately nuanced style, especially in Chopin, Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy. Winning the Chopin Competition in 1975 at the age of 19, Zimerman has since exerted his influence across the world with his recordings winning countless awards. Now, with his concert appearances ever rarer and his concern for performance conditions ever more meticulous, his BMF debut offers an unprecedented opportunity for music lovers to appreciate his art in person.

Meanwhile, Austrian master-pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, BMF Artist of the Year in 2013 for his complete cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas, returns for more Beethoven performances. On October 17 and 18, he joins conductor Yang Yang and the China Philharmonic Orchestra in a complete cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos - the second cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos at BMF since 2001.

Celebrating the Bernstein Centenary with Classics and Multimedia

2018 marks the centenary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein, the legendary conductor, composer, and educator. The 21st BMF pays homage to him with two reverential performances. On October 16, his Second Symphony "The Age of Anxiety" will be performed for the first time at BMF, with Salonen conducting the Philharmonia. Krystian Zimerman, the piano soloist for this work, enjoyed intimate collaboration with Leonard Bernstein in the 1980s, performing and recording Beethoven's and Brahms's Concertos under him with the Vienna Philharmonic. To commemorate these treasured memories, Zimerman is performing Bernstein's Second Symphony this year with orchestras throughout the world in homage to the unparalleled maestro.

On October 25, conductor Huang Yi and the China Philharmonic will present a Broadway cine-concert of West Side Story. As Bernstein's best-known composition, the symphonic suite of West Side Story has always enjoyed concert performances in China. In this cine-concert, however, all of Bernstein's music for the show will be performed in sync with MGM's famous movie rendition restored in high resolution, a rare multimedia treat.

Long Yu and Yo-Yo Ma Join Hands in Premieres

On October 26, BMF Music Director Long Yu will appear at BMF's closing performance for the fourth time, this time conducting the Hangzhou Philharmonic and the Silk Road Ensemble in a concert showcasing a wide range of genres and styles. While internationally-celebrated Chinese instrumentalist Wu Tong joins the concert, the spotlight will undoubtedly focus on Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist of world renown, who returns to BMF after an absence of many years. Ma joins hands with Wu Man, the pipa player, in Zhao Lin's A Happy Excursion, a concerto for pipa, cello, and orchestra co-commissioned by BMF, the New York Philharmonic, and the Hangzhou Philharmonic. With Wu Tong's fusion of Chinese and Western winds, the renowned soprano Lei Jia's rendition of Mei Ren, a folk song from Diqing, Yunnan, and other masterpieces, this concert is designed to evoke the spectacular landscape of Western China.

The church concert, always an audience favorite, will be held on October 13. For the first time at WangFuJing Church, string quartets demonstrate the power of harmony - the 35-year-old Shanghai Quartet will join forces with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Quartet in Mendelssohn's String Octet, and Andreas Ottensamer, the principal oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic, joins the HK Phil Quartet in Mozart's Clarinet Quintet.

Reaching Out with Nonprofit Events and Live Webcasts

The 21st Beijing Music Festival is proud to host a wide array of nonprofit events. On October 20 and 21, the Magic Circle Mime Company, which appeared in the 4th BMF, presents "Hello! Mozart," a performance designed for children to experience the "Mozart Effect." Master musicians including Salonen, Järvi, Buniatishvili, section principals of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma as well as his Silk Road Ensemble, will impart their wisdom in masterclasses.

BMF first broadcasted its concerts and opera performances online in 2015 and 2016. This year, it revives the practice, live webcasting several key events and educational events on kuke.com and other online platforms. The performances include Farewell My Concubine, Beethoven's concertos with Buchbinder and the China Philharmonic, Diary of the One Who Disappeared, the concert by Järvi and Tonhalle Orchestra, as well as the closing concert.

The Beijing Music Festival Arts Foundation wishes to express its profound gratitude to corporations which offer generous support to the Festival. We sincerely thank the primary sponsor - CITIC Group; the founding sponsor - Credit Suisse; golden string sponsors - UBS, Mercuria Energy, Nestlé (China), Taikoo Group, and China Asset Management; silver string sponsor - Power Corporation of Canada; BMF's official vehicle provider - FAW - Audi; and venue collaborators - Taikoo Li, INDIGO, The Opposite House, China World Trade Center, and St. Regis. During the 21st Beijing Music Festival, apart from the artists' splendid performances, our sponsors' events and activities as well as their corporate cultures add to the artistic milieu of the festival and are worthy of our full attention.

 

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