38th Macao International Music Festival Opens; Tan Dun to Lead China National Symphony in November, Joined by Local String Players for Mozart
The 38th Macao International Music Festival, presented by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, opened on October 2 at the Macao Cultural Centre. According to the Macao SAR Government, this year's festival runs under the theme "Silk Resonances," inspired by the Maritime Silk Road, from October 2 to November 29, with 10 programmes, one music camp and 12 community activities across the city; tickets are sold through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing platform. The opening production was the Yue opera "My Grand View Garden" by the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe, led by first-rank performer Chen Lijun, marking the 120th anniversary of Yue opera.
A centrepiece of the festival is a pair of concerts by composer-conductor Tan Dun, both at the Cultural Centre's Grand Auditorium. On November 28, "Tan Dun Conducts Beethoven's Ninth and Nine" pairs Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Tan's own Nine, a work inspired by ancient Eastern mythology, performed with the China National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. On November 29, "Tan Dun Conducts Mozart and Beethoven" opens with Beethoven's overture to The Creatures of Prometheus.
The November 29 concert also puts local talent on stage: Tan Dun will collaborate with two emerging Macao string musicians, Nina Wong and Yan Lok Hoi, in Mozart's concerto for violin and viola (the Sinfonia Concertante). The government said the festival is designed in part as a platform for young Macao musicians; its "Bravo Macao!" concert on October 31 features young local pianist Chan Chon Teng with musicians of the Macao Orchestra, and pianist Lang Lang's recital and masterclass series is also on this year's programme. (GSM, based on releases from the Macao SAR Government Information Bureau and the Cultural Affairs Bureau)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：谭盾手持乐谱（2011年资料照片）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 3.0）。Photo: Tan Dun holding a score (2011 file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
