Mid-autumn concert celebrates China-Greece ties

ATHENS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-six Chinese and Greek musicians came together Sunday evening to perform classical and contemporary music in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, creating a new bridge of communication between the two countries.

"The Moon" was the theme of the event featuring musical pieces by composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, alongside works by 20th-century Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis.

The event was co-organized by the Athens Conservatoire and the Athens State Orchestra.

This was not the first time the Athens State Orchestra has collaborated with Chinese artists in recent years. However, each occasion brings additional steps toward deepening bilateral understanding through art, members of the orchestra told Xinhua.

This time, the Athens State Orchestra was conducted by Chinese maestro Qian Junping. The audience was captivated by their surprise performance of the traditional Chinese song "Green Willow" at the closing.

"We had a wonderful collaboration, and we hope to meet again. I also hope the Chinese audience appreciated our effort to perform the Chinese song," said Manos Gouvelis, who played the viola.

"We had limited time to practice together, but we all gave our best, and I believe the outcome was positive," said violinist Faidon Miliadis.

"The audience responded very positively, and I enjoyed it immensely," conductor Qian Junping told Xinhua. This marked his third visit to Greece since 2016 to perform and collaborate with Greek musicians.

For Chinese violinist Weng Qingzhu, this was his first visit to Greece. He performed the "Polonaise in D Major" by Henryk Wieniawski, accompanied by Chinese pianist Yu Hanwen.

"It was a wonderful atmosphere. The audience was very welcoming, and I felt that they enjoyed the piece, which features Chinese elements," Weng said.