A season to celebrate

"The most exciting part of our seasons is always the premiering of new pieces," says Tang Ning, head of program operations. This year, these will include three commissioned pieces: Sentiments: Autumn Reflections by Yao Chen, The Story of Hua'er, a symphonic tale by Zhao Jiping, and Tipping Point, a piece with an environmental theme by Huang Ruo.

Additionally, a special session, A Life's Walk on Thin Ice, will be held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich's death. Conductors, including Jaap van Zweden from the Netherlands, Lawrence Foster from the United States, and Zhang Xian, will take part, leading the orchestra and soloists like violinist Ning Feng, German cellist Jan Vogler and US pianist-composer Conrad Tao, in interpreting some of the Russian composer's symphonies and concertos.

Pianist Lang Lang, who is an old friend of the center, will return next May with the "Lang Lang Music Week". He and the orchestra will perform music by French composers Saint-Saens, Ravel and Debussy, and also hold master classes.

The orchestra, the NCPA Resident Singers, and international opera stars, premiered The Rhinegold on Aug 30, the monumental prologue of Wagner's epic four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung. This season, The Valkyrie and Siegfried, the two middle operas of the cycle, will premiere. Chinese operas, including The Peony Pavilion by Ye Xiaogang and The Long March by Yin Qing, will also be performed.