Life of Guangzhou - Concert by Lang Lang and The Philadelphia Orchestra

Venue: Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall
Time: 2008-06-06 20:00
Tickets: ￥680/880/1280/1680/1980

Pianist: Lang Lang
Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach
Performer: The Philadelphia Orchestra

Program

Beethoven Egmont Overture

Grieg Piano Concerto

Shostakovich Symphony No 5 in d minor

Talented pianist Lang Lang

Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra on Tuesday night at Carnegie Hall. (By ANTHONY TOMMASINI/ New York Times)

The famous Philadelphia Orchestra will join hands with Lang Lang, a young Chinese pianist, to hold a concert in Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou on June 6.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the five most famous American orchestras, has also been listed in the top ten orchestras in the world, the Information Times reported.

China's classical music fans are crazy about the coming of this concert. The tickets priced at 380 yuan and 480 yuan have been sold out, said Yu Qikeng, the director of Xinghai Concert Hall.

Xinghai Concert Hall has the best sound equipment in China. That is the major reason why the Philadelphia Orchestra finally decided to add Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, into its tour in China, added Yu Qikeng.

Music fans in China are looking forward to see Lang Lang playing a duet with his teacher Christoph Eschenbach, according to the report.

Eschenbach, the 7th Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, was highly esteemed as a talented pianist during the early stage of his career. In 1999, he met Lang Lang for the first time in an audition. He was deeply impressed by Lang Lang's talent, so as to extend the 20-minute audition to 2 hours.

Later, he recommended Lang Lang to fill in for a sick pianist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for which he was serving as the conductor at that time. This cooperation turned out to be a huge success and introduced the emerging pianist to the world.

Thirty-five years ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra held 5 concerts in Beijing and Shanghai, giving Chinese audience a rare opportunity to enjoy classical music performed by great foreign musicians.

The return of the orchestra has special meaning to many people, including Yu Qikeng.

Yu Qikeng himself is a fan of the orchestra. "I was a student at music conservatory when the Philadelphia Orchestra came to China and was very lucky to get a ticket for the concert." he said.

Remarkably, 6 musicians who have been to China 35 years ago will be back in June.

The concert will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-U.S. Diplomatic Relations, the report said.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording technologies and outreach. The Orchestra has maintained an unparalleled unity in artistic leadership with only six music directors piloting its first century: Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), and Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003).

This tradition is carried on by Christoph Eschenbach, who became music director in 2003. The 2007-08 season, Mr. Eschenbach's last, focuses on monumental works of the symphonic repertoire, including Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand"), Orff's Carmina burana, and Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony. During his tenure, Mr. Eschenbach has conducted Beethoven's nine symphonies paired with music of our time; led a four-week Late Great Works Festival; launched the Orchestra's first-ever multi-year cycle of Mahler’s complete symphonies; and led tours of Europe, Asia, Florida and Puerto Rico, and the United States.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. The Orchestra presents a subscription season in Philadelphia each year from September to May, in addition to education and community partnership programs, and appears annually at Carnegie Hall. Its summer schedule includes an outdoor series at Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts, free Neighborhood Concerts, and residencies at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York, and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.