"In the last four festivals, we found that Chinese artists and Chinese works attracted great attention from the audiences and critics," said Yu. "Actually, international music circles show special interest in the Chinese musicians and their works in the music festival hosted in China."

Some Chinese musicians have achieved rapid fame on the world stage and have won credit for China. Many of them won various awards in international competitions and many have become principal performers in prestigious theatres and orchestras.

Therefore, while Yu keeps selecting foreign musicians, ensembles and programmes with a critical eye to guarantee the festival's high standing, he and his colleagues have tried to invite most of the top Chinese artists based in China and abroad to Beijing to participate in the festival.

"Every well-known music festival has its own mark. I hope 'Chineseness' will be the noteworthy character of the Beijing Music Festival for the following five years," said Yu.

"I also hope, as the festival introduces wonderful Western music to domestic audiences, it can work as a platform to promote Chinese music and musicians to the world as well," he said.

Big Chinese names having starred in the festivals include the composers Chen Qigang and Ye Xiaogang. Conductor Hu Yongyan will conduct the Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra as it plays Ye's work while the China Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Chen's work under the baton of Tang Muhai.

Lang Lang, a talented pianist born in 1982, will co-operate with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the renowned Lorin Maazel.

Percussionist Zhu Zongqin from Taiwan will perform with his percussion band. And a folk orchestra from the China Conservatory of Music will play Chaozhou folk music, which features the rich flavour of the Chaozhou area in South China's Guangdong Province.

The star-spangled closing gala concerts will perform highlights from some popular operas. It will feature pianists Chen Sa and Li Yundi, cellist Wang Jian, violinist Xue Wei, soprano Yao Hong, mezzo-soprano Liang Ning, tenors Liu Huan and Warren Mok and baritone Liao Changyong.

On October 21 and 22, a forum on Chinese contemporary music will be held and hosted by Ye Xiaogang, one of the most talented Chinese composers.

Yu Long, the festival's artistic director, said: "The forum indicates that besides the concerts and shows, the professional study and discussion of theory have become a part of the festival, which is necessary for a high-standing international music festival."

Some of the musicians and ensembles - including percussionist Zhu Zongqin, violinist Joseph Silverstein, pianist Leon Fleisher, the Berlin Philharmonic Winds and the Tokyo String Quartet - will give master classes at the Central Conservatory of Music and the China Philharmonic Orchestra.

Another eye-catching show in the festival will be Alban Berg's "Lulu," a masterpiece of contemporary opera performed by the Moscow Helikon Opera House. It is also the opera's Asian premiere.

"Introducing successful classical works is one part of the festival's mission, while the other is to promote contemporary and unfamiliar, newly produced works. And 'Lulu' is such a piece," Yu said.

"Lulu," the story of a prostitute, debuted in Paris in 1979. It has received very mixed reviews worldwide and has become one of the most controversial operas in history. ]

(China Daily October 14, 2002)