Art beat in November

Galaxy music comes alive

It was by pure coincidence that I played Daniel Hope's new CD Spheres (Deutsche Grammophon) during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the night when Chinese people at every corner of the world raised their eyes to the full moon, I drove to a grassland resort to spend the festival with my family, and spin this CD in the car's player.

When the music started, I knew no better time and occasion to listen to this "music of the spheres". In this album, the British violinist plays 18 tracks on the theme of stars and planets. He brings together music and time, including works by composers from different centuries from Bach to Philips Glass and the title piece by Max Richter. Hope says when he was a boy, the only thing that captivated him as much as music was the night sky.

At the age of 8, he bought his first telescope and spent hours gazing at the moon and stars. I'm sure this album is beyond your expectation of a violin collection. Hope gives the Bach a modern twist but not as abstract as what one would expect of contemporary music. They are simply beautiful. And you can even hear the chorus of the Berlin Philharmonic in the background.

Stalingrad in 3-D

Directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk, Stalingrad is the first Russian film produced completely in 3-D. It develops a love story against the Battle of Stalingrad, the historic war between the former Soviet Union troops and Nazi Germany during World War II. An original story by Ilya Tilkin, who studied diaries of participants in the battle, museum archives and documents to create the tale, it follows a group of former Soviet Union soldiers to protect a girl whose home is occupied by the Germans along the shore of the Volga River. The film is Russia's submission for the 86th Academy Awards, to be announced next March. It premiered in China on Oct 31.

New age pianist to perform

American songwriter and pianist Jim Brickman will perform a show in Beijing. With six gold and platinum albums to his name, the musician is known for his solo piano compositions and pop-style instrumentals. He started learning piano at age 5 and has earned two Grammy nominations for his albums Peace in 2003 for best instrumental and Faith in 2009 for best New Age album.

7:30 pm, Nov 1. Oriental Theater, No 11, Chaoyang Beidajie, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

Finnish quintet sings a capella

Five crystal voices blending beautifully without disturbance from any musical instrument, Finnish a-cappella ensemble Viisi will take the audience at their concert in Guangzhou this Saturday far away to the green grasslands and blue lakes shimmering in the sun in the northern European country. The concert is made of Finnish folk songs and fresh covers of English hits including Crazy in Love and I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Comprising five female soloists, Viisi was founded in 2003 but has toured extensively and performed at important occasions such as a UNICEF concert in 2011.

8 pm, Nov 2. Experimental Theater of Guangzhou Opera House, Exit B1 of Zhujiang New Town subway station, the interchange of Line 3 and 5, Guangzhou. 020-3839-2888.