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Philip Glass' "Cello Concerto" Premieres in Beijing
The "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra" by world renowned composer Philip Glass made its world premiere here Sunday, as one of the top-class performances of the ongoing 4th Beijing Music Festival.
The concerto was performed by the master cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and the China Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Yu Long, a famous young conductor in China.
According to the organizer, China Capital Entertainment and Management Co. Ltd., the concerto was composed especially for Webber's 50th birthday.
The concerto is widely regarded as a classical masterpiece fully displaying the expertise of the composer and cellist.
Webber is described by the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, as " a cellist of an extraordinary class whose plays produce fabulously beautiful sound and show a combination of brilliance and depth of feeling."
Well-known Erhu player Yu Hongmei was invited to the premiere to perform Guan Naizhong's "Concerto for Erhu and Orchestra."
Yu Long said that the combination of Erhu and cello offers "a dialogue between different cultures" and also highlight the theme of the music gala -- "International Standard, Chinese Style and Beijing Characteristics."
Yu said he hoped that the foreign musicians would compose for their Chinese counterparts in the future.
The festival, which ends November 8, will invite 1,500 artists from China and 14 other countries, and feature operas, symphony orchestras, chamber music, Chinese folk music, rock concerts and a children's concert.
Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing municipal government, has been held annually since 1998, attracting a total of 7,000 artists from home and abroad staging nearly 100 performances.
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