The Beijing Music Festival opened on Saturday with a stunning fusion of the East and the West. As dusk settled over the capital city, the National Centre for the Performing Arts concert hall glowed against the cool autumn evening, inviting the audience into a world where music and nature seemed to harmonize.

The China National Symphony Orchestra and composer-conductor Tan Dun opened the concert with the Golden Bell Chimes (bianzhong) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a remarkable artifact housed at the Palace Museum in Beijing.

The opening piece Ancient Bells of Peking's Central Axis is composed by Tan and features pipa (four-stringed Chinese lute) player Zhao Cong.

The music piece was inspired by Beijing's Central Axis — the 7.8-kilometer north-south line through the capital's historical center, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 27.

As Zhao's fingers move across the strings of the pipa, the instrument's ancient timbre felt as timeless as the city itself, invoking images of iconic buildings from the past, such as the Forbidden City, China's imperial palace from 1420 to 1911, now known as the Palace Museum, Jingshan Park and the Bell and Drum Towers, blending seamlessly with the contemporary orchestral sounds behind her.

An old friend of the Beijing Music Festival, the annual classical music event launched in 1998 by maestro Yu Long, Tan made his debut at the festival in 2001, performing his Oscar-winning music piece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a film score Tan composed for director Ang Lee's 2001 film of the same name.

"I have performed at the festival many times and every time it feels like a reunion with old friends," says Tan a day before the concert in Beijing. "Music is like a flowing river; a continuous, ever-evolving force that transcends time. Just as a river never stops moving, music flows from generation to generation, carrying the contributions of countless musicians across eras."

"The Beijing Music Festival, over nearly 30 years, carries stories, emotions and historical contexts, acting as a bridge between the past and the present, the East and the West. Many great musicians from around the world perform during the festival. Just like a river connecting different lands and people, the festival connects generations of cultures," Tan says.

During the first half of the concert, Tan also led the China National Symphony Orchestra to perform his music piece Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds, during which the orchestra members held up their phones to play the recordings of birds chirping to traditional Chinese instruments.

Young Chinese suona player Liu Wenwen, a first-time performer at the Beijing festival, shared the stage with the orchestra and Tan, performing the famous suona piece Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to Phoenix. As the nation's first student in a doctoral program for the suona at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Liu, a 13th-generation suona player, is also one of the most active young players in China.

"We had many discussions about programs for the opening concert for this year's Beijing Music Festival. Thanks to Tan, we presented Chinese music works during the first half of the concert and Western music pieces in the second half, bringing a sonic journey that bridges Chinese heritage with Western traditions," says Zou Shuang, artistic director of the Beijing festival, from Oct 5 to 13, with nine concerts by international musicians.

One of the highlights during the second half of the concert was cellist Wang Jian and violinist Lu Wei playing Mozart's Symphonie Concertante in E-flat Major, K 364 under Tan's baton.

Composed in 1779, the piece, one of Mozart's most famous works written specifically for the violin, the viola and the orchestra, is played in three movements, showcasing the interplay between the violin and viola supported by a full orchestra.

"If a cellist were to attempt to play the viola part, there would be both technical and musical challenges. The highly skilled cellist Wang Jian did a great job," says Yu, an old friend of Wang who first invited the cellist to perform at the Beijing Music Festival in 1999.

"How hard is it for the cellist to interpret the viola part? Just imagine star tennis player Zheng Qinwen playing ping-pong using a tennis racket and winning," adds Yu.

"The viola's range sits higher than a cello, which can be physically demanding and requires mastery of the thumb position and fluent shifting. Mozart's style calls for light, delicate articulation, especially in the interplay between the violin and viola," he says. "The cellist would need to overcome challenges in range, articulation, tone production, and ensemble balance to maintain the integrity of Mozart's delicate and intricate writing."

Considered a child prodigy, Wang was enrolled in the primary school affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at 9.

In 1979, celebrated violinist Isaac Stern made a historic visit to China with a documentary crew. In 1981, the documentary about Stern's visit titled From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China was released, winning an Oscar for Best Documentary. Wang became known internationally as the child prodigy in the film who played the cello with seriousness.

In 1985, Wang entered the Yale School of Music. The following year, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall. Since then, he has embarked on an international career.

"When I first performed at the Beijing Music Festival in 1999, I had lived and toured abroad for decades. The festival's atmosphere created an intimate connection between the performers and the audience, which impressed me and allowed me to frequently return to my home country," says Wang, 56. "The festival has made great contributions to the country's booming classical music scene."

Tan says he will embark on a trip to France with the China National Symphony Orchestra from Wednesday to Oct 15, performing in Toulouse, Aix-en-Provence and Paris to celebrate the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations.

They will bring the same programs as the Beijing concert, which also include French composer Maurice Ravel's famous Bolero and Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird.

"The concert celebrates musical diversity and cultural fusion. It is a powerful reminder of music's ability to transcend boundaries, inspiring us for the upcoming performances in France," says Tan.

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