The Philadelphia Orchestra, which played a key role in warming Sino-US relations, will perform with pianist Lang Lang, while the Rotterdam Orchestra will perform with pianist Li Yundi.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is heading to Shanghai to stage Bernstein, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center early next month. It was the first US orchestra to perform in China since 1949 - that was in 1973.

The orchestra, which last performed in China in 2001, will perform with Chinese pianist Lang Lang under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

The program features Bernstein's "Overture to Candide," Grieg's "Piano Concerto" and Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 5" on the first night. On the second night they will play Beethoven's "Egmont Overture," Mozart's "Sinfonia Concertante" and Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 6," with Canadian violinist Juliette Kang and South Korean cellist Chang Choong-Jin.

On June 20 and 21, pianist Li Yundi will perform at the same venue with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguin.

They will play Otto Ketting's "The Arrival," Ravel's "Piano Concerto," Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 5" on June 20 and Ravel's "La Valse," Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 2" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3" on June 21.

In 2000, at the age of 18, Li became the youngest International Chopin Competition champion.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's historic 1973 concerts in Beijing and Shanghai featured Debussy, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Roy Harris' "Symphony No. 3" and "The Yellow River Concerto."

"Harris and Debussy were mysteries; Beethoven and the Yellow River Concerto were applauded," recalled Daniel Webster, then music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer, of the Beijing concert in 1973. He was one of five US journalists on the trip.

The tour had its roots in Eugene Ormandy's 1971 letter to then US President Richard Nixon. Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited China in 1972.

Before the trip there were so many questions, Webster recalled.

"How do you move 104 musicians, instruments, stage equipment, and trunks in a nation that moved on bicycles and horse carts?" he said. "Was there a place to land a 707 jet? Where could the Chinese house Westerners who wanted beds and who ate queer things like eggs and toast, and coffee, in the morning?"

In Beijing the musicians had their own hotel rooms, their names in English and Chinese posted on the door. They visited the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and even tossed Frisbees with locals.

They rehearsed with China's Central Philharmonic Orchestra and Chinese pianist Yin Chengzong for "The Yellow River Concerto," Yin's most famous piece.

In Shanghai, they saw the tallest building on the Bund, 12 stories high, and cruised the Huangpu River. A shipboard band of six played traditional instruments, ancient tunes with improvisations.

As souvenirs they took back bamboo flutes fitted with fish-skin membranes and other instruments.

The century-old Philadelphia Orchestra has chalked up other firsts. In 1936, it was the first American orchestra to undertake a trans-Atlantic tour when it visited Britain. In 1949 it was the first American orchestra to cross the Atlantic after World War II.

Philadelphia Orchestra concert

Date: June 7-8, 7:30pm

Tickets: 200-2,200 yuan

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra concert

Date: June 20-21, 7:30pm

Tickets: 200-1,800 yuan

Venue: Oriental Art Center

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong

Tel: 962-288, 6854-1234

(Shanghai Daily May 23,2008)