It has become a tradition every New Year holiday for a couple of
Austrian orchestras to tour Beijing to give performances featuring
Strauss and Mozart's music.
Meanwhile, one or two Chinese ensembles fly to Vienna to perform
traditional Chinese music during the Spring Festival season.
This custom has continued into 2006. Vienna's audiences will
have the opportunity to attend two shows featuring Chinese music
and folk opera bringing a taste of the Chinese festival season to
the European city.
"Image of China," a concert presenting folk songs from the
region along the Yellow River, will be held at Hofburg
Redoutensaele, an architecturally unique congress center in Vienna
on January 12.
Directed by Wang Jianguang, the concert will include a number of
popular Chinese singers including Wei Wei, Qi Qin, Qi Yu, Tong
Ange, Wen Zhang, Zang Tianshuo, Gan Ping, Wu Dong and Ai Dai.
The organizer has selected 16 songs that are popular in the nine
provinces along the Yellow River, some of which have been
reconfigured to include a modern twist.
The acclaimed Vienna Boys Choir and some Austrian opera singers
have also been invited to sing some Chinese folk songs.
The inspiration for the Yellow River folk songs concert resulted
from a visit to the area last June, said director Wang, who has
been commissioned by China Central Television (CCTV) to produce a
documentary on the Yellow River in 2006.
"Traveling along the Yellow River, we heard a variety of folk
songs, some were familiar to me while others were beautiful though
I had never heard them before," said Wang.
"Many Chinese ensembles and folk artists have introduced Chinese
folk music abroad in recent years, but few folk songs are
well-known except 'The Jasmine.' So during the trip, we discussed
to produce a concert focusing on the folk songs."
Wang also revealed that Vienna is just the first part of call,
with hopes to tour cities such as Los Angeles and Sydney in the
future.
"I am looking forward to the concert and hope that foreign
audiences will like Chinese folk songs," said singer Zang
Tianshuo.
The other concert entitled "Charming the East" featuring the
original symphonies composed by Chinese musicians and Chinese folk
operas will be performed on January 15 at the prestigious
Musikverein Hall where the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plays
their New Year's Concert every year.
Presented by CCTV, this annual Chinese Spring Festival Concert
began in 2001 and features a collaboration of singers and
orchestras from both countries.
The organizer announced that something special has been prepared
for this year's concert.
They started compiling the music for this year's concert as
early as last March. Nearly 100 composers from both home and abroad
submitted their works with hopes that they would be selected for
the concert.
After being reviewed by a jury composed of musicians, producers
and critics, "Time" composed by Wang Ning from China Conservatory
of Music and "Celebrate the Lantern Festival" by Tang Jianping from
the Central Conservatory of Music were chosen as the main pieces
for this year's concert.
The Gray Symphony Orchestra will present the two works at the
concert for the first time. Peng Jiapeng will take the baton.
Chinese folk opera will dominate the second half of the concert.
The audience will be able to enjoy Peking Opera "The Drunken
Beauty" played by actress Shi Yihong, the duet of Shaoxing Opera "A
Dream of Red Mansions" by vocalists Qian Huili and Shan Yangping,
the Huju Opera "Luohan Qian" by Mao Shanyu and the Yuju Opera "Hua
Mulan" by Wang Hui.
The finale will be performed by Beijing's 100-member children's
choir.
"I really appreciate that Chinese artists have brought untold
happiness and festival greetings to the Austrian people every year
since 2001," said Gabriele Feigl, director of the Cultural Forum of
the Austrian Embassy in Beijing, who attended both press
conferences for the two concerts last week in Beijing.
(China Daily January 12, 2006)
