Yu Long Photo: IC

The Beijing Music Festival (BMF), an annual festival for classical music fans, will return to stages in Beijing on October 8, the festival's artistic director Yu Long announced at a press conference in Beijing Thursday.

According to Yu, this year's festival will host 29 events over 22 days including 17 orchestral concerts, one church concert and two children's concerts.

Additionally, BMF also will launch a series of public art events such as master classes, music appreciation activities and open days at concert halls.

"This year's event marks the 20th anniversary of the classical music festival. For the past 20 years, we have brought to the stage many world-class troupes and orchestras as well as helped bring a world-class music festival to the classical music field," Yu said.

A highlight of the festival is sure to be opera Die Walkure by Richard Wagner. This will be BMF's second time performing Die Walkure and the sixth time producing a Wagner classic following on the heels of Die Meistersinger and Tristan und Isolde in 2015, Parsifal in 2013, Tannhauser in 2008, and Der Ring des Nibelungen in 2005.

A joint production by Salzburg Easter Festival and BMF, Die Walkure is based on the original 1967 production that infuses modern stage technology. Mastero Jaap van Zweden, set to be music director of the New York Philharmonic during its 2018-19 season, will take the baton for the performances on October 24 and 27. 

Chinese composer Chen Qigang will premiere his new work Violin Concerto La joie de la souffrance on October 29.

Based on the tune of Chinese classic Parting at Yangguan, the concerto expresses the composer's meditation toward Yin and Yang, joy and sorrow, as well as gain and loss.