Timeless music

Source:Global Times Published: 2019/7/21 17:23:39

Conductor Yu Long Photo: Courtesy of BMF



Promotional material for Angel's Bone Photos: Courtesy of BMF



The organizers of the annual Beijing Music Festival (BMF) released the program schedule for the upcoming festival on Thursday. 

This year's festival, running from October 4 to 28 will see a wide variety of operas, symphonic concerts, recitals, chamber music concerts and even virtual reality music experiences as well as 12 public events like master classes, lectures and more, said Zou Shuang, the festival's artistic director.  

Under the theme of Timeless Music into the Future, BMF will explore Chinese elements with works from young Chinese talent such as Angel's Bone, composed by Du Yun, the first Chinese woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. 

According to Zou, a new work commissioned for BMF will bring something different and innovative to audiences. The Asian debut of Michel van der Aa's latest work of musical theater Eight will offer a virtual reality music experience.

Also at the festival, composer Max Richter will present his monumental eight-hour composition Sleep at the Foot of the Great Wall as the audience relaxes on beds instead of traditional seats. 

Other artists and ensembles in the lineup include legendary sopranos Edita Gruberová and Renée Fleming; the first resident orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra led by Vladimir Ashkenazy; master pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Opera Fuoco conducted by David Stern; maestro Charles Dutoit and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and music prodigy Alma Deutscher.

BMF also announced its three-year artistic collaboration - from 2020 to 2022 - with the Opéra Comique based in Paris. 

Three co-produced operas, two classic Western operas and a Chinese opera, will be staged at the Opéra Comique in Paris and BMF.



Posted in: MUSIC,CULTURE & LEISURE,ARTS FOCUS

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