From May 1 to 25, the National Centre for the Performing Arts' annual "May Music Festival" will return. Under the theme of "Music for the Future", 24 performances will be held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Arts Center to present a colorful scene of chamber music.
So far, the "May Music Festival" has accompanied the Beijing audience for 14 years, and this year, the artistic label of "Famous Artists and Famous Troupes" continues to be strengthened. Artistic Director Lu Siqing, high-profile flowery soprano Cao Xiumei, violin immortal myth Pingxia Zuckerman, modern avant-garde sheng player Wu Wei, National Centre for the Performing Arts 2023/24 Resident Artist Ning Feng, organ master Shen Fanxiu, Philadelphia Orchestra principal cellist Ni Haiye, multi-faceted musician Li Quan and other domestic and foreign musicians will take the stage one after another. The Ensemble of Italian Musicians, the Copenhagen Orchestra, the Vienna 5+1 Cello, the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet will also present the vitality of chamber music with innovative choreography. In addition, local orchestras such as the China Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra and the Beijing Chinese Orchestra are also important forces in this year's May Music Festival.
In terms of repertoire, the classics that never get tired of listening to are played intensively. The Italian Musicians Ensemble and Shen Fanxiu will interpret the pure charm of Baroque music, the Austro-Frieden Philharmonic Orchestra, the "spokesperson of Haydn music", will present the works of the Haydn family for the first time, the violinist Ning Feng will be the conductor and soloist in two Mozart concerto concerts, the first solo performance of Pinchas Zuckermann and the popular Meijie Trio will perform Beethoven's classic works, and the French Vanku Quartet will present the original French works to the extreme.
In terms of interpretation form, the opening concert "Bowstring Feast" version 4.0 has been upgraded again than in previous years, with young and middle-aged string musicians such as Lu Siqing, Huang Mengla, Chen Xi, Luo Chaowen, Su Zhen, Qin Liwei, Sun Yingdi and other young and middle-aged string musicians sharing the stage with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Qingxin Chamber Orchestra. Throughout the May Festival, Chinese and foreign artists will perform a variety of Western classics as well as commissioned Chinese works. Cao Xiumei and the Italian Musicians Ensemble will intersperse Cantata and oratorio excerpts in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, so that instrumental and vocal music complement each other, the Copenhagen Old Orchestra will play "Spring Time" with spring-inspired repertoire, Wu Wei will collaborate with the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra to present the Chinese premiere of Bernd Deutsch's "Phenomenon" for Sheng, and "Midnight Rose", which will be sung on the last night of the festival, will bring together Li Quan and six jazz musicians to perform classical, pop, The jazz-intertwined style reinterprets classic melodies.