Maestro orchestrates a ripple effect
Symphony's newly appointed artistic adviser to add lesser-known masterpieces to its repertoire, celebrating exchanges and delighting fans, Chen Nan reports.
Other Chinese highlights include Zhao Jiping's Plateau Dance and Cello Concerto: The Disillusioned Dream, both featuring elements of traditional Chinese opera; and Tan Dun's three pieces, The Deer of Nine Colors, Morin Khuur Concerto, and Pipa Concerto: Three Springs, which explore themes of nature, humanity, and the spiritual connection between people and animals.
The orchestra's chorus will also perform Rachmaninoff's The Bells, a dramatic choral symphony written in 1913 that Shui calls "his supreme achievement in the form".
International cultural exchanges remain a key focus for the upcoming season. To mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, the orchestra will tour Singapore in September to present a series of concerts featuring both Chinese and Western repertoire.
Meanwhile, the chorus is slated to open the 37th Macao International Music Festival before embarking on a European tour, continuing to share the richness of Chinese musical artistry with the world.
As the orchestra approaches its 70th anniversary in 2026, it will host events that will bring together current and former members, as well as leaders from the wider music community. The events will provide a platform for international dialogues and collaboration among orchestras and artists.
A retrospective exhibition at the Beijing Concert Hall will trace the China National Symphony Orchestra's journey from the Central Philharmonic Society to today, with rare archival materials highlighting key moments in its evolution on display.
