Tradition meets symphony at 2026 New Year's Concert

The Beijing Concert Hall was filled to capacity for the 2026 New Year's Concert, conducted by Tan Dun and performed by the China National Symphony Orchestra.

The Dec 27 concert, titled Ten Thousand Galloping Horses Nature and Humanity, opened with Tan's composition, Ten Thousand Galloping Horses, an energetic piece that instantly charged the atmosphere, symbolizing the start of the new year.

The concert featured three impressive solo performances from violinist Wang Peng, cellist Li Cheng and harpist Zhuang Yuanyuan.

The concert also saw a fascinating fusion of traditional Chinese instruments with symphonic music. Pipa player Han Yan performed Tan's Three Pipa Concertos with Orchestra, playing three different types of pipa. The highlight was her use of a "reverse pipa" based on the Dunhuang murals, which she combined with dance movements, captivating the audience with her performance.

Morin Khuur player Hasibagen brought the expansive sound of the Mongolian horse-head fiddle to life with the Morin Khuur Concerto, evoking the vastness of the grasslands.

The evening ended with two encores — Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Tan's The Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds — bringing the concert to a triumphant close.