Soprano Lei Jia performs on stage with the China Philharmonic Orchestra on Tuesday

(From left) Yu Long, Gulinaer Imin, Lang Lang, Lei Jia and Ge Shuwen Photos: Courtesy of Liu Junqi

The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) closed out the year with a strong sense of Chinese style during the Audi Night - 2015 "Silk Road" New Year's Concert held at the China National Convention Center on Tuesday night.

"The concert focused on the Silk Road - a very popular topic in 2014. Our wish was to present the cultural side of the Silk Road through music," said Yu Long, the artistic director of CPO, on Tuesday.

Not only was this the 14th New Year's concert CPO has held, it also marked the last concert held as part of the 2014 Audi Music Season which began in October.

While it is tradition for CPO to play traditional Chinese classics such as previous year's piano concerto Yellow River and violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers, the orchestra also kept things interesting by interpreting  several Western pieces with a strong Chinese style.

Playful piano



Like many cultural events this year, the concert took the Silk Road as its main theme. In keeping with this theme, much of the music at the concert represented the regional styles of famous places along the ancient trade route. For instance, the orchestra started the night off by representing the last stop along the Silk Road by performing Hector Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture.

Another well-known piece that night was George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue performed by well-known Chinese pianist Lang Lang. Previously playing this piece with American piantist Herbie Hancock at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, this piece has become a fan favorite among Lang's many fans. Playing the piece with the freestyle spirit of jazz was the perfect choice for Tuesday night's concert, as the playful interaction between pianist and orchestra was great for showing off the special chemistry between Lang and CPO.

 Another special treat during the encore came when Lang performed the Chinese folk song "Liuyang River" with the orchestra and soprano Lei Jia.

Shared solo



Over the past few decades, almost any violinist in China worth their salt has tried their hand at performing the highly demanding and emotional song "Sunshine in the Skies of Taxkorgan." One of China's most classic solo violin pieces, the song was completed in 1976 by Chen Gang, one of the authors behind "The Butterfly Lovers." An immediate hit, the song has appeared in violin textbooks ever since and listening to the versions performed by Pan Yinlin and Lü Siqing is a common memory that many violin students in China share.

In an interesting twist, the concert took this famous solo and divided it among two young violists He Shucong and Ma Qiaorong, with each playing short sections of the work in turn.

He, 22, was the winner of the 2014 CCTV Piano and Violin Competition for adults, while the 15-year-old Ma won the portion of the competition for teens.

The duo's performance during Audi Night, the first time the young violists played with CPO, not only presented a vivid scene of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region's Tajik people, but was also a meaningful way to pass on China's musical heritage to a new generation of violinists.

New delights



Some new original suites composed over the past two years also made an appearance at the concert bringing local regional styles to the capital city.

Fantasia on Themes of Mugam for Aijieke and Orchestra, arranged by musicians Abudureheman Ayoufu and Zou Ye, introduced Xinjiang's traditional four-stringed instrument the aijieke to the Beijing audience. Gulinaer Imin, a well-known Uyghur aijieke player from Xinjiang, opened the audience's eyes as she took the lead in performing this local folk music.

The youngest performing duo for the night, 16-year-old Bai Yanfeng and 13-year-old Yun Siqi wowed the audience with a lively and powerful performance after taking the stage to play an original piece for two pianos by Zhang Chao: "The Dream of China."

My favorite of the night was the first movement from the 30-minute long concerto for cello and the traditional wind instrument known as sheng: Duo. Commissioned by three orchestras including CPO in 2013, composer Zhao Lin, the son of famous Chinese composer Zhao Jiping, wrote the concerto for cellist Yo-yo Ma and sheng player Wu Tong. Taking up the part meant for Yo-yo Ma, cellist Zhao Yunpeng's performance sounded like the voice of an old man telling stories - the perfect representation of the hardships and beauty that could be found along the ancient Silk Road.

The gift of music



Audi means "listen" in Latin, an apt name considering over the past three months FAW-VW Audi has sponsored a number of music events in China, including the 17th Beijing Music Festival - Audi Night, Lang Lang's Nanjing Stop concert, a jazz concert featuring Uri Caine and the famous Salzburg Festival.

"Since we started the 2014 Audi Music Season in October, we have brought a number of beautiful music experiences to Audi fans and music lovers nationwide," said Ge Shuwen, executive vice president of FAW-VW Audi sales division, at the Tuesday concert. "In 2015, we will fully mobilize our international advantages to continuously improve the fusion of culture and technology between China and the Western world in order to bring more products and pleasant experiences to our customers."