A symphony of celebration

Vienna orchestra honors its 125-year history with a series of concerts in China’s capital city, Chen Nan reports.

With the soft morning sunlight illuminating the ancient city of Beijing, a special performance by a brass trio from the Wiener Symphoniker is about to begin at the foot of Yongdingmen’s stone wall, one of the historical gates of the old city, located in the southern part of the capital.

The trio, consisting of seasoned musicians — trumpet player Christian Low, horn player Markus Obmann, and bass trombone player Wolfgang Pfistermuller — begins with the timeless Summertime, a classic jazz standard by George Gershwin. The trio continues, improvising and weaving in and out of the familiar melody, fluid and natural like a conversation. The three move effortlessly to the next piece, Invention No 7 by Daniel Muck. The Austrian composer and conductor, known for his diverse works in symphonic, brass and wind orchestra genres, composed this piece specifically for the trio, according to Pfistermuller.

“It’s a lovely morning and here we are playing music in this beautiful park. The music flows naturally and the crowds are enjoying it,” says Pfistermuller.

The Wiener Symphoniker, one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and celebrating its 125th anniversary, made its Beijing Performing Arts Center debut on Saturday, and performed again on Monday.