With the energy of Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder's Saturday performance of Beethoven sonatas still reverberating in the hall of The Orange at Sanlitun Village, Monday saw music lovers at the auditorium treated to a crossover show as part of the ongoing Beijing Music Festival (BMF) featuring composer Tan Dun, conductor Yu Long and the respected "godfathers" of Chinese pop and rock, Lo Ta-yu and Cui Jian. The concert, dubbed "Urban Series: Dialogue Among Festival Friends," enlisted the quartet to speak about their understanding of music with performances intertwined between discussions.

"In the early days of the festival, we focused on classical music. Now, we welcome pop and rock. We want to make music more modern and popular," Zhang Shurong, host of the concert and music critic, told the crowd in his introduction.

The beauty of music, much like art, lies in the eye of the beholder, said Yu, who compared music to "water" and people to its "container."

"There is not a specific understanding for certain styles of music. Interpretation of music is left up to every person's imagination," said Yu, who is the director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the music director of the BMF. 

For Lo, a Taiwanese singer whose fame skyrocketed in the 1980s, music represents a different meaning.

"Throughout my working life, I have been in music production. Now, I recognize that the most important thing in music is people. After seeing my daughter born, I want to write [songs] about family," said Lo, 58, who became a father for the first time in August.

Lo is affectionately regarded as the "Chinese Bob Dylan" for his music that packs a rebellious spirit as demonstrated in his songs "Little Town of Lukang" and "Love Song 1980."

Cui, also regarded as a musical rebel, told the audience that music "shows respect and worship for life."

"A lot of people think rock'n'roll has some wicked energy, which is not true. Rebellion in rock only proves a musician is paying attention to life," said Cui.

Beijing-born Cui, 51, is universally regarded as a pioneer of rock'n'roll in China, having also shot to fame in the 1980s with his music that boldly tackled themes such as freedom and sex.

At the other end of the musical spectrum, contemporary classical composer Tan revealed his cryptic belief that the purpose of music is "not for men to hear it" but for "music to hear people."

"As a composer, I always think about what kind of people my music targets during my creation," said Tan.

The 55-year-old Hunan-born virtuoso has received many world-class awards, including a Grammy and an Academy Award for his scores in the wuxia films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Hero (2002).

Lo teamed up with the Philharmonic Orchestra to perform his new song "Love 2100 Family."

Meanwhile, Cui performed with saxophonist, Liu Yuan, on an adapted version of "Flower Room Girl."

In paying tribute to late American experimental composer John Cage, Tan led "4'33'' with Lo, Cui and Yu. Tan assumed the conductor's position while Yu performed percussion, Lo played the piano and Cui serenaded on trumpet.

"It is a miracle to conduct John Cage's music at this year's festival. If I had conducted [such music] 15 years ago, I might have been pelted with eggs," joked Tan.