Beijing Music Festival Makes History With a Spectacular Program of Baroque Music Never Performed Before for Chinese Audiences, October 11-31, 2010

Acclaimed founder Long Yu and Beijing Music Festival radically transform classical music landscape of China, introducing this year's theme From Baroque to New Contemporary

Opening night features superstar pianist Lang Lang paying tribute to Chopin's 200th Anniversary

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Beijing Music Festival

Jun 02, 2010, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 Beijing Music Festival will run from October 11th - October 31st and presents a stunning line up of world-class artists, and an extraordinary program of Baroque music performed for the first time ever for Chinese audiences. As one of most significant artistic events in Asia, the Beijing Music Festival is at the epicenter of cultural exchange between China and the West. This year, the festival continues its vital role in transforming the future of classical music in China. As a visionary for artistic exchange, Long Yu, founder and Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival, and co-founder and current Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic, has created the most diverse program to date. This year's repertoire spans musical eras, from breathtaking Baroque debuts to thrilling contemporary commissions and a tribute to the anniversaries of Chopin, Handel and Schumann.

Embracing this year's theme, the festival opens with three consecutive spectacular performances by superstar pianists Lang Lang, Yundi Li and Sa Chen paying homage to the bicentennial anniversaries of Chopin and Schumann. The astonishing opening night gala will feature Lang Lang performing a new Chopin-inspired commission by Oscar award winning film composer Howard Shore, conducted by Long Yu.

Baroque highlights include acclaimed conductor Christopher Hogwood, one of the most prestigious advocates for ancient music in the world, leading Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in an exquisite contemporary Baroque adaptation. Also, to commemorate 250 years since Handel's birth, Belgium Opera House and Brussels Theatre de la Moanniae will jointly present a magical performance of Handel's Semele – the first Baroque opera ever to be performed in China.

As well as presenting incomparable traditional classical music, the 2010 festival places vital emphasis on newly commissioned works, solidifying the festival's ground-breaking role in the development of contemporary classical music. In a joint commission with Opera Boston, the dazzling new opera Madame White Snake will have its China debut, after a highly successful world premiere at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston. In another dramatic highlight, the newly commissioned opera, Farewell my Overlord will be a mesmerizing closing performance, featuring world-class soloists, collaborating with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

Other festival highlights include the prestigious Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra presenting an evocative reinterpretation of John Lennon's song book, and the world-class Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, performing a unique program exploring music and science.

For a complete program of the Beijing Music Festival, please visit www.bmf.org.cn.

For more information on the Beijing Music Festival, please contact Pamela Murphy at Align Entertainment Group: [email protected] or 212-334-6116.

SOURCE Beijing Music Festival