It is quite rare to have a concert directed by the baton of an 85-year-old conductor, let alone a woman conductor, but last Sunday, Beijing's classic enthusiasts enjoyed a performance conducted by Veronica Dudarova and her State Symphony Orchestra of Russia at the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

The audience packed the concert hall and were fascinated by her relatively slow but superb Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony, "Pathetique Symphony."

Under her baton, Russian popular pianist L Timofeeva devotedly played Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto.

"She is pretty and very thin, but she gave an amazingly powerful performance," said Dudarova.

They performed selections of holiday music, operas, and ballet scores. For their encore pieces, the orchestra chose "The Good News Spread from Beijing to the Stockaded Village," a delightful folk song of the Chinese Yi ethnic minority, and "White-Haired Girl." The two Chinese music pieces, which are very familiar to local audiences, served as the climax to the concert.

Rakhmaninov's second piano concerto will be staged tonight. Enthusiastic classical music fans should not miss this chance to enjoy Dudarova and her orchestra.

Founded by Dudarova in 1991 and often called "Dudarova's Orchestra," the orchestra was created from the best symphony orchestras in Moscow and several other musical centers in the country, such as Kiev, St Petersburg, Minsk and Novosibirsk.

"As one of the seven state symphony orchestras of Russia, the orchestra inherits the good tradition of classical music and maintains a high artistic level in the world," said Chinese pianist Liu Shikun, who worked cooperatively with the orchestra in the 1990s.

"It has its own sound, which is a great credit to Dudarova, the founder as well as the artistic director," said Wang Jiyan, music critic with Chinese journal Philharmonic.

As one of the 20th century's world-famous conductors, Dudarova is a symbol of the orchestra's great success and its increasing popularity in Russia and abroad.

She studied piano at the Leningrad Music School, but soon discovered her gift for orchestral conducting and entered the Moscow Conservatory of Music to learn the art of conducting. "I am devoted to the profession of conducting as it enables me to reveal, as fully as possible, the essence of the composer's intentions," Dudarova said.

From 1960 to 1989, she served as the chief conductor and artistic director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, where she exerted a powerful influence on its style and performance.

Dudarova's uncommon natural musical talent, rich inner world and indefatigable passion for music and the arts have always motivated her to excellence as a conductor.

"Dudarova is a conductor characterized by brilliant artistic individuality and high professional skills," said violinist Lin Zhaoyang.

Lin Yaoji, a professor with the China Central Conservatory of Music, said: "I was impressed by her powerful and emotional conducting when I attended her concert in the former Soviet Union in the 1960s."

World music critics are unanimous in their acclaim for the uniquely feminine charm that ornaments any composition performed by Dudarova.

"But as a woman conductor, sometimes she conducts in a way that is tougher than what a man does," said Chinese woman conductor Zhen Xiaoying, who once studied along with Dudarova under the same master in the former Soviet Union.

It is said that Dudarova is very strict with the orchestra in rehearsals. As she explained: "A conductor must have a tough temperament. Especially for a woman conductor, it is a way to earn your prestige from the orchestra."

She added that although there are only a few women conductors in the world, it does not mean women do not possess musical talent. "It's a pity that there's no such tradition," she said.

Dudarova's repertoire is extensive and versatile, encompassing many musical styles and historical periods. But French music seems to be her favorite.

(China Daily April 30, 2002)