Concerts celebrate Olympics

As the year 2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar, the orchestra performed a well-known Chinese folk piece, Flying Dragon and Leaping Tiger, composed by Li Minxiong, featuring percussionist Li Wenbo, which brought a sense of happiness and vibrancy while celebrating the new year.

"With the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games starting in a few weeks, people from around the world are gearing up for the grand event. With music, we want to send our wishes to the athletes," says Zhao Cong, veteran pipa player, who is the president of China National Traditional Orchestra.

"The Games will kick off during the traditional Chinese New Year holiday－Spring Festival. Traditional Chinese music always brings a happy and auspicious atmosphere, which fits well into the traditional Chinese festival," Zhao adds.

She notes that the orchestra spent about three months preparing for the concert.

"The sounds of traditional Chinese musical instruments are very expressive and versatile. For example, the pipa, a four-stringed plucked instrument with a history of more than 2,000 years, can produce a variety of sounds, such as that of falling snow," Zhao says.

The pipa player was born and brought up in Northeast China's Jilin province, which is known for its winter tourism. She composed and performed a new piece, Melody of the Winter, which is dedicated to the upcoming Games.

She combined elements such as rock and electronic music into this new piece, which she performed during the opening gala of the 22nd Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival and the Meet in Beijing Olympic Culture Festival on Jan 6 in Beijing.