The performance at NCPA on Sunday night Photo: Courtesy of Wang Chang

A symphony concert featuring classical musical works about Beijing, Tianjin municipalities and Hebei Province was staged by the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra at the National Centre for the Performing Arts(NCPA) on Sunday night. 

Inspired by the integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the concert took place over three segments featuring Chinese folk tales and reality-themed stories in a meaningful attempt to tell China's stories through Western classical music.

"For composers like Richard Wagner and Jean Sibelius, tales of their own people have always been where their inspiration came from. Why not tell China's tales in the form of classical music?" said Zhang Yi, the orchestra's conductor. Additionally, the concert also saw Peking Opera performers take to the stage to act out the stories accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments such as the monochord, drums and Hebei clapper.