A symphony for all seasons

Orchestra's upcoming program reflects changing face of classical music in the country, Chen Nan reports.

Promising a new season of passion and excitement, the China Philharmonic Orchestra recently unveiled the program for its 2024-25 concert season, kicking off the latest chapter in its 25-year evolution.

It will feature 22 concerts that span compositions from the Baroque to the contemporary period and will celebrate a number of significant anniversaries, including those of Bruckner, Strauss, and Ravel. The orchestra will revisit beloved classics and premiere pieces previously unperformed.

The tradition of the China Philharmonic Orchestra launching its own performing season began with its 2001-02 season. It was founded in 2000 by conductor Yu Long, who is also the orchestra's artistic director.

"Having its own performance season is crucial for a symphony orchestra. A structured season allows it to plan its repertoire, schedule, and resources efficiently. It is a road map for the musicians, conductors, and administrative staff to prepare and execute their work effectively," says Yu. "A defined season helps build a loyal audience by offering a series of performances that patrons can anticipate and attend regularly. It creates a sense of continuity and commitment, encouraging audience members to return and engage with the orchestra.

"We have devised a diverse series of programs, which will not only showcase various styles, but also lead to our growth and innovation," Yu adds. "Over the past two decades, China's classical music scene has undergone drastic changes and development. I am proud that the China Philharmonic Orchestra has been part of those changes, and has played a key role in bringing them about."

The new season opened with a concert conducted by Yu at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Aug 31. The program included Mussorgsky's Dawn Over the Moskva River, from his Russian opera Khovanshchina, and Pictures at an Exhibition, a suite of 10 movements inspired by his visit to an art exhibition originally composed for the solo piano, but which later became better known in orchestral form after it was arranged by Ravel.

Featuring violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley, the first concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the concert included Bernstein's Serenade (after Plato's Symposium), a composition for the solo violin, strings, harp and percussion.

To mark the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, under the baton of Polish-British conductor Jacek Kaspszyk, the former artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the CPO performed Symphony No 4 in E-Flat Major, WAB 104, at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing on Friday. Violinist Jiang Yiying, 25, also performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No 4 in D major, K 218.