Reborn German orchestra begins first China tour

Maestro Christoph Eschenbach and the musicians of SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart will tour China, visiting Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Shanghai, Wuhan in Hubei province and Taiyuan in Shanxi province between Friday and Thursday.

With repertories of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischutz Overture and Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No 9 in E minor From the New World, the tour will mark SWR Symphonieorchester's Chinese debut.

The SWR symphony orchestra emerged from the fusion of Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart SWR and SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg in September 2016.

Blending musical traditions of its two predecessors, SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart has worked with world-class conductors, including Eschenbach, David Zinman and Ingo Metzmacher.

German-born Eschenbach said before the China tour began that "the process of merging results in a perfect team" and that "it's always pleasurable to perform in China".

With four decades of experience of conducting some of the finest orchestras in the world, the renowned conductor first performed in China with Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra in 1985.