East and West combine as festivals open

Veteran pipa player Zhao Cong, president of the China National Traditional Orchestra, will perform a pipa piece, Melody of the Winter, with the two orchestras. Composed by Zhao, the piece is dedicated to the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games and will be performed with the support of stage technology, such as an immersive XR(Extended Reality) stage experience, delivering a dynamic virtual event.

Other highlights will see Jasmine Flower, a popular Chinese folk song, performed by soprano Lei Jia, featuring melodies from Giacomo Puccini's famous opera Turandot.

Moreover, along with real performers, Luo Tianyi, one of the most popular Chinese virtual idols, will appear in the gala performing a song, titled Time to Shine.

According to Chen Guangxian, director of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra will also give a concert at Beijing Concert Hall on Sunday, performing two pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich: The Gadfly Suite and Symphony No 10 in E Minor.

Between 1929 and 1970, Shostakovich wrote more than 30 movie soundtracks and his score for the 1955 film, The Gadfly, remains a firm favorite.

"I first watched the movie when I was a student at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music," recalls the octogenarian conductor Chen Xieyang. "The music is memorable and it continues to be popular today."

On March 10, 1985, the conductor led the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to premiere Shostakovich's Symphony No 10 in E Minor in China, which he says is his favorite piece by Shostakovich.