This photo taken with a mobile phone shows the snow scenery of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

A series of symphony orchestra programs from China's National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing will be aired at radio stations throughout the United States starting from Feb. 1, with a new episode to be released every Thursday through the month.

Chicago's WFMT Radio Network, in its continued collaboration with NCPA, is the producer and distributor of the series.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon, which starts on Feb. 10, the Series will kick off with Li Huanzhi's Spring Festival Overture. The opening and finale of the work depict the celebration with sounds of parades and fireworks. In-between is the song-like middle section based on a century-old melody, expressing New Year greetings and prayers for good luck and peace.

Other works by Chinese composers featured in the series include Liu Dehai's Little Sisters of the Grassland, Zhao Jiping's Violin Concerto, Ma Sicong's Lyrical Symphony No. 2, Huang Yijun's Fair Flowers under Full Moon, Chen Qigang's Reflet D'un Temps Disparu (cello and orchestra) and Chen Gang's Sunshine on Tashkurgan.

Works by Western composers include Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 6, Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7, Ludwig Van Beethoven's Coriolan Overture and Claude Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn and La Mer.

The performances selected in the series have been staged at NCPA in recent years and were mostly conducted by Jia Lü, chief conductor at NCPA. Soloists featured in the series include famous artists such as pianist Wang Yuja, Li Jia (Pipa), violinist Ning Feng, and French cellist Gautier Capucon.

"We at the WFMT Radio Network are honored to present a second season of exceptional orchestral performances from China's NCPA," said Estlin Usher, director at WFMT Radio Network.

"This season is especially meaningful to us," Usher told Xinhua in an interview. "To deepen our relationship we have integrated the four broadcasts into our year-round Orchestra Series, timed to air during the month of February to celebrate the Chinese New Year."

"NCPA is an incredible institution," continued Usher. "And the performances from the China NCPA Orchestra are extraordinary. We're delighted to share their mix of Chinese traditional music and works by Chinese composers alongside classics from the Western canon. I know listeners from across the United States will be thrilled to experience these stunning broadcasts."

Ren Xiaolong, managing director of China NCPA Orchestra, said the partnership with WFMT "embodies the tremendous vitality of cultural exchanges between China and the United States."

"Through the partnership, American listeners can not only feel Chinese musicians' unique interpretation of world classics, but also come to appreciate the rhythms of contemporary China and our distinctive national characteristics," said Ren.

"The hearty music brings our (Chinese) New Year wishes to our overseas listeners," Ren said. "Whether it's the Chinese interpretation of world classics given by the China NCPA Orchestra or the performance of distinctive traditional and contemporary Chinese masterpieces by the China National Traditional Orchestra, the audience will be able to feel the fusion of contemporary vitality and traditional charms in the life of today's Chinese society."

WFMT Radio Network's Orchestra Series is a well-established program broadcasting nationwide over 70 main stations in more than 300 markets in the United States. Over the years, the series has featured top-tier orchestras like the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the German Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, showcasing best-in-class artistry and stunning variety. 

Blooming magnolia flowers are seen near the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

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