Art center gets ready for galaxy of classical stars to shine

From renowned pianists Martha Argerich and Krystian Zimerman to Grammy award-winning jazz musician Herbie Hancock and Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center announced a star-studded autumn/winter season for 2024-25 last week.

The theater released a series of 92 shows for 52 productions on July 5 for the upcoming season, which will run from September to January 2025.

About 70 percent of the productions will come from overseas, according to Lei Wen, general manager of the Shanghai theater.

World-celebrated classical pianist Argerich from Argentina will present two concerts at the Shanghai center on Nov 4 and 5 with violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Mischa Maisky and young pianist Theodosia Ntokou.

Known among music lovers as "the reigning high priestess of the piano", Argerich turned 83 this year. When she held her debut concert at Shanghai Symphony Hall in 2019, tickets sold out immediately and music lovers feared it would be her last appearance in Shanghai.

The announcement of her upcoming concerts aroused excitement among audiences and journalists at the news conference, who raised their mobile phones to take photos.

One of the most recognized halls for symphony concerts in Shanghai, the SHOAC will receive a series of globally recognized orchestras in the new season. The London Symphony Orchestra will be the first to visit, led by its new chief conductor Antonio Pappano, and joined by Chinese pianist Yuja Wang to present three concerts from Oct 8 to 10.

On Oct 20, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra will make their fourth visit to the center, presenting compositions by Mussorgsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.

The esteemed Vienna Philharmonic, led by conductor Andris Nelsons alongside solo pianist Yefim Bronfman, will perform at the center on Oct 30 and 31. In 2016, the Austrian music company signed a partnership with the Shanghai center, promising to hold concerts there annually from 2017. The company managed to perform in Shanghai three years in a row from 2017 to 2019 but was interrupted by the pandemic.

The return of the Vienna Philharmonic after five years "could lead to further collaboration and more concerts in Shanghai", Lei tells China Daily.

Teodor Currentzis, a rising star in the classical music scene, made his debut in China last year and the Greek conductor will return to Shanghai on Nov 20 and 21 with his MusicAeterna Orchestra playing the works of Wagner, Mahler, Brahms and Shostakovich.

The Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra will play under the baton of Thierry Fischer, violinist Guido Sant'Anna and Chinese soprano Huang Ying at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sino-Brazilian diplomatic ties.

Looking forward to her performance of Bachianas Brasileiras No 5 at the concert, Huang says: "This will be the first time I sing this piece with an authentic Brazilian orchestra.

"Many years ago, I performed the piece with the 12 Cellists Ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker. I was very touched by the beauty of the music and I am confident I will interpret it well and pass on its beauty," Huang says.