In the past month, famous international groups such as the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra have come together to perform in China, setting off waves of performance viewing. This lively scene is just a microcosm of this year. After more than three years of waiting, Chinese music fans will witness the comprehensive return of famous international groups in 2023.
Overseas famous artists and groups come to China to show off their special skills without forgetting to be down-to-earth
In March 2023, Jan Vogler, the internationally renowned cellist, director of the Dresden Music Festival, and artistic director of the Moritzburg Music Festival Being the first to perform at the National Center for the Performing Arts opened a new chapter for foreign artists to visit China one after another.
March 2023, Gergiev’s concert with the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra. Photography/Lingfeng
Afterwards, Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, Adam Fisher and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra World-class masters such as Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle, Nim Järvi and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, etc. have come to Beijing one after another, and he has been appointed chief conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle. The wonderful performances of Daniel Gatti, Korean conductor Chung Myung-hun, who has a deep relationship with China, pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, violinist Renault Capuçon and other international celebrities also fully satisfied the music fans. .
Many international famous groups have returned, making music fans ecstatic. In March 2023, after three and a half years, maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra returned to the National Center for the Performing Arts. Three concerts have just gone on sale, and thousands of performance tickets were sold instantly It was sold out, and the ticket sales website was even "paralyzed" due to the large number of ticket buyers. Such lively scenes have occurred more than once this year.
The artists felt the enthusiasm of the Chinese audience, and performed their best shows one after another, repaying the enthusiasm of the Chinese audience with full sincerity. In order to make the reunion after a long absence more special, foreign artists also carefully designed an "Easter Egg" link specially tailored for Chinese audiences. At Gergiev's first concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts in March this year, he took the lead in playing "Ode to the Red Flag" which was not on the program. This piece was also Gergiev's tribute to the enthusiasm of the Chinese audience. In anticipation of the concert, I decided to add it temporarily half an hour before the concert started.
When he led the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra to the Beijing Art Center on the banks of the Grand Canal in October this year, he once again took the lead in playing a Chinese work "We Walk on the Main Road" that was not written on the program list. The selection of friendly Chinese works to interact with the audience opened the show, which quickly brought the show closer to the Chinese audience and won a warm response from the audience.
In November 2023, Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle will perform at the National Center for the Performing Arts. Photography/Wang Xiaojing
Famous international groups have raised audience expectations. Chinese orchestras seek breakthroughs
World-class groups come to China, which also puts music fans into sweet troubles. In November alone, nearly ten world-famous orchestras took turns to take the stage at the National Center for the Performing Arts: On November 5, Christian Thielemann led the 475-year-old Dresden Staatskapelle to perform for the Chinese audience. Hindemith's "Swan Rotor" and Richard Strauss's "Alpine Symphony"; on November 9, Denis Mazuev, the successor of the Russian piano school, took the stage to perform Rachmaninoff and Chaiko Vski. From November 9th to 12th, the American Ballet Theater returned to the stage with ten leading stars to perform the pinnacle ballet "Giselle" after a ten-year absence; while the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra joined hands with China on November 10th and 11th respectively. The Symphony Orchestra and the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra continued the 50-year relationship between Chinese and American classical music culture with two concerts, the "Commemorative Concert to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Visit to China" and "Farewell to the Sounds"... Such an intensive performance schedule by famous international orchestras , making music fans both excited and anxious, saying "I can't see it." "This year's performance market can be said to be a blowout recovery. This blowout is not limited to one aspect, but an all-round, three-dimensional blowout recovery that includes the needs of the audience and the orchestra's performance wishes." General Manager of the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra Ren Xiaolong said.
The explosive recovery of famous international groups has raised the audience's expectations. Competing on the same track, Chinese orchestras and musicians also burst out with positive and vigorous power. Although there were dense international groups before and after, the concerts performed by the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra and conductors such as Daniel Gatti and Zheng Mingxun showed full enthusiasm and stunning performances. The two sets of music included a total of four The ticket sales rate for each concert reached more than 90%, and the response from the audience at the performance was very enthusiastic.
"When international masters or international orchestras come to China, the exchanges that occur are not just at the audience level. Of course, the audience will also see what international masters and international standards are like, but they will also reflect a kind of We have higher expectations for Chinese orchestras." Ren Xiaolong said, "Many international groups have returned to the Chinese market this year. In the process, we did feel some new atmosphere and new breath. For example, from the performance of the orchestra From a perspective, when we plan performances now, we cannot arrange them according to the perspective, level and standards of the past three years. We must have internationally renowned conductors and soloists. Only in this way can we attract the audience well and satisfy them. market."
The return of famous international groups to China has invisibly led Chinese orchestras to treat every performance with higher standards. Amid fierce competition, Chinese orchestras are also seeking breakthroughs. Ren Xiaolong said, “Although the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra has a home field advantage, when we plan performances, we must also consider what kind of conductor and repertoire we should come up with when there are large international orchestras before and after us. Standing in the market and in front of the audience actually gives us a lot of pressure and challenges, but at the same time, I think the more pressure and challenges there are, the more we can truly come up with products that can stand in the market."
2023 In October 2019, Daniel Gatti joined hands with the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra to perform the Brahms Symphony Concert. Photography/Liu Fang
Music is a bridge connecting the world. Exchanges and mutual learning promote the development of the symphony industry.
Overseas famous groups and celebrities come in droves, which is of great significance to Chinese musicians. "When world-class conductors like Daniel Gatti and Zheng Mingxun came to the orchestra, we realized that in the past four years, we had not had the opportunity to work side by side with international masters like this." Ren Xiaolong said , "If I had to use one word to describe the reaction of the musicians of the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra, it would be joyful. They have a very thirst-quenching feeling. It is this feeling that gives them a full concentration on their work. It also gives them a blowout self-presentation in their final artistic level. Through such international exchanges, the level of our orchestra can continue to improve."
For famous international orchestras, the vitality brought by the Chinese symphony market is also very important. Impactful. Almost all foreign musicians lamented the youthful enthusiasm of the Beijing audience. Adam Fisher was very satisfied with the atmosphere of the concert when he performed in China in the first half of this year. He said, "In Europe, we often worry that in a few decades, when this audience ages, what will happen in the future?" Whether new audiences can grow, the performance in Beijing gives us hope and more confidence in the development of classical music." Zheng Mingxun returned to conduct the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra after four years. He also said that he was very happy to meet these old friends and that the exchanges between them in various aspects such as music and life were very meaningful to him.
Ren Xiaolong said, "When international orchestras come to China, in addition to exchanges between artists, we also have docking exchanges at the management level. They also learn a lot from the Chinese market and their Chinese counterparts. This This will in turn change their concepts and perspectives on the Chinese market and even on the development of the entire symphony industry. This kind of learning and exchange is definitely not one-way. In short, the comprehensive resumption of international exchanges is exciting, very rewarding and inspiring. "
October 26, 2023, Beijing Art Center, Gergiev and Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra concert.Photography/Niu Xiaobei
Micro-inventory
The first foreign classical musicians to return to the Chinese market
Since the epidemic, foreign artists have been absent from the domestic stage for a long time. On March 12, 2023, Jan Vogler, an internationally renowned cellist, director of the Dresden Music Festival in Germany, and artistic director of the Moritzburg Music Festival in Germany, took the stage at the National Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall to present Baroque music masters to the audience. Bach's complete set of six "Cello Unaccompanied Suites" brought a wave of musical excitement to the early spring in Beijing, which was turning from warm to cold. This concert has also become an important symbol for foreign artists to return to China. Since then, the performance market has been star-studded, and many internationally renowned artists have appeared on the Beijing stage.
The top international orchestra that makes the audience crazy
Master conductor Valery Gergiev visited Beijing three times this year. The Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra he conducted not only became the first top foreign orchestra to return to the Chinese market, but also the first international art group to perform at the Beijing Art Center. Gergiev's arrival triggered a frenzy among music fans. In March 2023, Gergiev and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra returned to the National Center for the Performing Arts for three concerts that had just gone on sale. Thousands of performance tickets were sold out in an instant, and the ticket sales website even closed due to the excessive number of ticket buyers. And was once "paralyzed". The subsequent performances were all sold out. Gergiev works non-stop every time he visits, giving back to Chinese music fans with great enthusiasm and professional attitude, and continues to write friendship with music.
The most anticipated performance of classic tomes
In the past three years, domestic music fans have rarely been able to watch foreign artists perform the complete set of Beethoven's tomes in person. In May 2023, the legendary piano master Rudolf Buchbinder returned to the National Center for the Performing Arts and presented Beethoven's complete set of 32 piano sonatas in 7 concerts in 9 days, which made music fans very excited. With the marathon presentation of Beethoven's complete set of piano sonatas, Buchbinder, who is nearly 80 years old, once again brought a benchmark-level music feast with pure German and Austrian flavor to Chinese music fans, and also allowed Chinese music fans to fully understand Beethoven The spiritual world of this music giant.
The earliest international original musical to return
In July 2023, the French original musical "Romeo and Juliet" was staged at the Tianqiao Arts Center in Beijing. This was also the first international original musical to tour China in 2023. As one of the world's most popular French musicals, "Romeo and Juliet" premiered in Paris in 2001 and has become one of the three treasures of French musicals along with "Les Misérables" and "Notre Dame de Paris". The China tour is the first global tour of the "20th Anniversary Edition" of the show. The original cast of "Rice" Damian Sager and "CC" Cecilia Cara from the premiere twenty years ago are also on the show. They reunited again during this tour, surprising the audience. There are more than 30 modern and fashionable music tracks in the play, which carry French romance through to the end.
The famous foreign troupe with the longest friendship with China
In November 2023, the American Ballet Theater and the Philadelphia Orchestra visited successively, setting off a boom in Sino-US cultural exchanges in Beijing. Among them, Fei Jiao’s visit to China again attracted much attention. As the first American symphony orchestra to visit China in history, the friendship between Feijiao and China has spanned 50 years since 1973. Although the years have passed and the young guys back then are now gray-haired, the friendship forged by music has never faded. Feijiao cooperated with the China Symphony Orchestra and the National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra within a week. Artists from the two countries used the international language of music to once again interpret the everlasting friendship.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
editor/Gong Lifang
