Two of classical music's greats honored at Beijing fest

The 16th Beijing Music Festival will close with the Chinese premiere of Richard Wagner's Parsifal on Oct 29 and 31 in Beijing Poly Theatre.

The year 2013 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi, commonly regarded as two of history's greatest composers.

Launched on Oct 4, the festival this year features the most operas in its history, with a total of five masterpieces.

Western classical music, especially opera, has become one significant part of Beijing's evolving arts scene. Over the past few years, the capital has played host to some major opera productions from around the world.

Parsifal is the crowning achievement among Richard Wagner's most successful works.

Lasting four and a half hours, the epic is a co-production of the Beijing Music Festival and the Salzburg Easter Festival, a classical music festival in Austria. The other co-producers include famous German opera house Sachsische Staatsoper Dresden and Teatro Real, the major opera house in Spain.

German director Michael Schultz has reinterpreted the classic tale by Wagner, while Austrian conductor Gustav Kuhn will lead the China Philharmonic Orchestra to perform the opera's debut in China.

The festival also features some of Giuseppe Verdi's masterpieces at the Forbidden City Concert Hall from Oct 22 to 27, including Requiem, A Masked Ball and Aida.

From Oct 25 to 27, semi-staged productions of Verdi's most famous works Rigoletto, The Troubadour and La Traviata, will also be presented on the stage of the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

The Beijing Music Festival presents a variety of classical music shows. Among them, opera has always had a high place on the agenda.

The festival is growing into a platform for event organizers seeking to promote opera in China's growing market for the arts, organizers said.

"China is in the middle of an opera boom. Large numbers of opera houses have either been recently completed or are in the final stages of construction," said Catherine Cai, head of investment banking in China at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the top sponsor of this year's Beijing Music Festival.

"Opera is growing faster in China than in almost anywhere else in the world, and we're really pleased to help bring world-class performances to China that can further satisfy this interest," Cai said.

She said that the premiere of Parsifal shows the potential of music to promote cultural exchange and understanding among nations.

"Music makes people understand each other better. That is why we see support for opera and music in general as an important part of our larger commitment to China," she added.

This year is also the centenary of Benjamin Britten, Britain's greatest composer of the last century. Britten's iconic opera Peter Grimes will also be performed in China for the first time.

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who conducted his Symphony No. 8, Songs of Transcience in the 2007 festival, conducted string players from the China National Symphony Orchestra on Oct 15 with violist Cao Fei.

While introducing internationally renowned musicians and their works, the festival also promotes local Chinese musicians to a global audience.

Chinese composer Zhou Long, who just turned 60 this year, will premiere his symphonic epic Nine Odes during the festival. Celebrated vocalists Ying Huang, Ning Liang, Warren Mok and Yuan Chenye will perform with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, which will be conducted by Lin Daye.

"Just as with opera, it's amazing how popular classical music is becoming not only in Asia but also in China in particular," Cai said.

The Economist reported that in China, more than 30 million children are learning to play piano or violin.

When it started to sponsor the festival in 2011, the bank found a partner that is as dedicated as they are to "engaging individuals, organizations, communities and cultures in creative ways to build mutual respect and understanding", Cai said.

"We have had a longstanding presence in Asia for the past 60 years, and our foothold in China is strong," she said.

"As one of the only truly universal languages we have, music has a fantastic ability to connect people of different backgrounds. We see events like Beijing Music Festival as a great opportunity for the audience to enjoy music they've never heard before and develop a broader understanding of the arts. The festival has brought music genres that are often seen as less mainstream."

Cai added that Bank of America Merrill Lynch supports a variety of arts and cultural events and organizations around the world. All of them have a role to play in building a culturally diverse society.

As a sponsor, Bank of America Merrill Lynch is promoting the festival to the local community by offering tickets to the underprivileged children at charity organizations.

One of the charities they have a partnership with is Half the Sky Foundation, an international NGO working for child welfare.

"We look to generate opportunities that can influence children as well as women in a positive way so they can embrace positive changes in their own lives. We believe the festival will broaden the children's understanding and appreciation of arts from around the world," she said.

In addition to music, the bank also helps preserve paintings, sculptures and architecture through the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Art Conservation Project, Cai said.

This year, projects in Asia include the Beijing Stone Carving Art Museum, Shanghai Art Museum, Tokyo National Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn