Chinese Culture Year in Germany opens with grand concert

BERLIN, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The 2012 Chinese Culture Year in Germany marking the 40th anniversary of Sino-German diplomatic ties was officially launched with a concert in Berlin Monday evening.

The concert, performed by the China Philharmonic Orchestra at the Music Hall on the Gendarme Market, combined Chinese and German classical music masterpieces.

Starting with the classic overture of "Tannhaeuser" by Richard Wagner, the orchestra with over 100 musicians also performed the Chinese violin concert "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," also known as the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, and the solo dancing and singing from Peking Opera masterpiece "the Drunken Beauty."

"It's just amazing to hear and admire the typical Chinese folk music with profound connotations of traditional Chinese folklore, as well as the dancing and solo of Beijing Opera, which is particularly striking with its flamboyant costumes and elegant gestures," said Ms. Christ, a 65-year-old visitor from Nuremberg.

"I have long cherished a desire to explore and learn more about the bonanza of Chinese culture, which has 5,000 years of continuous heritage," she said.

It was the first time for Berlin local Helmut Schwarz to hear the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, and he found the melody very touching. "It is so emphatic and harmonious, one of the most beautiful music pieces I have ever heard in my life," Schwarz said.

Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu gave a speech at the start of the concert, saying the event was of profound significance to Sino-German bilateral cultural exchanges.