Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra performed at the Beijing Art Center in Beijing's sub-center on Wednesday, becoming the first international orchestra to perform at the newly opened center for arts.

In December 2007, the Mariinsky Theatre led by Gergiev was the first international art troupe to perform at the National Center for the Performing Arts after its grand opening. Sixteen years later, they were invited to play the first chord of the Beijing Art Center's 2023 international cultural exchange performance.

The concert opened with a rendition of "We Walk on the Great Road." The well-known encouraging melody and the red flowers around the concert hall created a celebratory atmosphere, instantly winning applause from the audience. This was followed by the fast-paced overture "Ruslan and Lyudmila," the pleasant and dreamy "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" and the colorful "Picture at an Exhibition" during the first half.

In the second half, the music of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Firebird" was played to its fullest. Under the leadership of Gergiev, the musicians showed extraordinary confidence and excellent interpretation of the Mariinsky Theatre's repertoire.

"The 'perpetual motion' energy of Maestro Gergiev and the orchestra is always very alluring and tonight's repertoire list can be said to be full of sincerity," enthused one audience member after the show.

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