Published on Dec 4, 2014

Rating:

Genre: NCPA

Dates: January 1, 2015

Venue: Concert Hall of NCPA

Prices: 380, 580, 780, 1080, 1380, 1680, 2015

Features: On January 1st of 2015, the China NCPA Orchestra and principal conductor Lu Jia will hold the 2015 NCPA New Year's Concert with dozens of classical musics at Concert Hall of NCPA in Beijing.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Wu Xing (The Five Elements) by Chen Qigang opens the concert as a perfect showcase for the players, with its intricate orchestral colors and subtle gestures. The five short movements each symbolizes the five elements – water, wood, fire, earth and metal – fundamental to traditional Chinese culture. One of the most important Chinese composers of his generation, Chen is now well known throughout China for his work as Music Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, as well as his oeuvre of concert works. Since its premiere in 2001, Wu Xing has received dozens of performances worldwide.

One of Chen's heroes is the next composer on the programme, Maurice Ravel, one of the prominent Impressionist masters. Whereas his orchestral scores such as Boléro , the Daphnis et Chloé ballet suites and orchestrations of piano works including Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky and his own Ma Mere L'oye are all beloved classics, the Piano Concerto (composed between 1929 and 1931) nevertheless stands out in his output stylistically. Deeply infused with jazz idioms and harmonies, it is both a virtuosic showcase and a serious statement, with two scintillating, energetic outer movements enveloping the sober, lyrical central movement.

Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, written in 1888, is notably upbeat compared with the two symphonies that envelope it (themed 'Fate' and 'Pathetique', respectively). The understated opening theme – a more optimistic interpretation of 'fate', compared with the Fourth Symphony – recurs in different guises throughout the work, and the warm horn theme from the second movement has become a well-known entity in its own right. Tchaikovsky's music has long been at the heart of the repertoire for symphony orchestras in China, beloved by players and audiences alike. By placing this significant symphony alongside the Chen and the Ravel, NCPA Orchestra wishes to demonstrate how it fully embraces the width and depth of the classical repertoire with passion and musicality.

Tickets for 2015 NCPA New Year's Concert are UnAvailable now!