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Venues across China’s capital city will open their doors beginning October 9 for the 29th Beijing Music Festival (BMF). Nearly two weeks of programming under the rubric “Beijing Cappella” will include orchestral concerts, chamber music, opera, recitals, world music, rock, and free public events. The 270th birth anniversary of Ludwig Amadeus Mozart provides a central thread for this year’s Festival, and conductor Charles Dutoit, violinist Ning Feng, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar will be among the many internationally recognized performers and ensembles.
“Mozart Is for Everyone”
The BMF has long been a celebration of international and multicultural arts. Shuang Zou, the artistic director, cites Mozart’s “generous and profoundly human spirit” and sees his music as symbolic of the artistic eclecticism and cross-pollination that audience members experience at the Beijing Music Festival: “Mozart represents the openness, curiosity and joy at the heart of artistic expression. His music speaks to experienced listeners and first-time concertgoers alike. Mozart is for everyone.”
The Mozart theme will appear in chamber music and keyboard repertoire, opera and orchestral music, arias and concertos. Charles Dutoit will lead the opening concert, an all-Mozart program with pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja and the Beijing Music Festival Orchestra.
On October 10 and 11, the London Philharmonic Orchestra – this year’s BMF orchestra-in-residence – and international opera companies will give the mainland China premiere of a new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Shuang Zou directs, and Dane Lam, music director of State Opera South Australia and principal conductor of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra, conducts.
See also: Our interview with Dane Lam on his globe-trotting career and his album of music by Chinese composer Xiaogang Ye
Concerts on October 12 and 13 will continue the Mozart theme. The London Philharmonic under principal conductor Edward Gardner, with Chinese baritone Liao Changyong and German pianist Gerhard Oppitz, will perform Mozart opera arias, a piano concerto and more.
A chamber music highlight will be the Shanghai Quartet with Oppitz and clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer.
And October 16 will witness an unusual feat: violinist Ning Feng and Kammerakademie Potsdam plan to perform all five Mozart violin concertos in one evening.
“Future Traditions”: Three Centuries of Music, and a New Generation
October 18 will see the Chinese premiere of a semi-staged production from the KT Wong Foundation of Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare. Laurence Cummings conducts the China Philharmonic Orchestra and an international cast of prominent early-music singers.
The Festival is also known for expanding outside the realm of pure classical music. On October 19, Anoushka Shankar will bring her international tour to the BMF. And on the final day, Yang Yang will conduct the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in a fusion evening of “classical rock” featuring Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian and young pianist Ju Xiaofu. Thus the festival will close with orchestral music and rock side by side.
The BMF’s support of community engagement and young artists continues this year, affording invaluable experience to emerging artists and giving audiences a preview of the future of classical music in China. Along with Ju Xiaofu, violinist Chloe Chua and participants in the Festival’s Spring Bird program will share stages with recognized international artists. And the Festival presents music in non-traditional venues, such as open-backstage events, a street pop-up performance, and lunchtime concerts in office buildings.
For more information, visit the Beijing Music Festival website (available in English).
