Beijing symphony orchestra to perform in London for the Olympics

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra rehearses on July 17, 2012 for a show to be staged on July 29 in the Royal Festival Hall in London as part of the celebrations for the 2012 Summer Olympics. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will stage a show in London on July 29 as part of the celebrations for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Half of their compositions are by Chinese musicians. As the orchestra's conductor explains, it's their mission to spread Chinese music culture far and wide.

It is the first time for the Beijing Symphony Orchestra to give a performance in the U.K.

Tan Lihua, music director and principal conductor of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, said their performances represent Chinese people's best wishes for the Olympics which kick off in London on July 27.

"We started consultations with the London Philharmonic Orchestra about one year ago on the melodies we would play together for the Olympics and reached an agreement that half of our show would consist of Chinese compositions. I think it's a dereliction of duty if a Chinese Symphony Orchestra merely plays foreign music abroad. And our mission for the London tour is introducing the whole world to outstanding modern Chinese symphonic works."

The two orchestras will perform in the famous Royal Festival Hall in London. A press conference held by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday also announced that the concert would be broadcast live on the Internet.

Tan said the concert would open with a 14-minute-long symphony called "Lotus" composed recently by Guo Wenjing specifically for the London Summer Olympics.

"We had a lot of cooperation from Guo Wenjing, the composer of "Lotus." In the poems written in the Tang and Song dynasties, the lotus is a profound symbol of sacredness and friendship."

In addition to "Lotus" which conveys the Chinese people's good will towards the Summer Olympics, another piece of musical work for percussion called "The Olympic Flame – 2008" is another composition that will be performed.

Wang Jiyan, supervisor of publicity and planning for the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, said he had some interesting observations regarding the London tour.

"I think there's a fact to prove the recent rise in the status of Chinese people. When I worked for other orchestras in past years, I've never seen a play list written in Chinese if the orchestras gave performances abroad. But the concert on July 29 offers a bilingual play list in English and Chinese."

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will depart for London on July 24. During their London tour, the orchestra will also perform on the campuses of two high schools for training and exchanges purposes

In 2008, the orchestra recorded 212 songs for the Beijing Olympics, including the national anthems of participating countries and the official 2008 Olympics theme song.