A harmonious way to ring in 2008 is to attend the New Year's
concert at the 10,000-seat Great Hall of the People under the baton
of conductor Zubin Mehta. The world-famous conductor is known for
four New Year's concerts in Vienna. But Mehta is no stranger to
China, having visited the country six times.
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Leading the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, he will open the
show with a score called Olympic Fanfare to mark the start of the
year of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Other works would include
Anton Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 From the New World, Johann Strauss
II's Where Lemon Trees Bloom and Edward Strauss's Ohne Bremse Polka
Schnell Op. 238, organizers say.
Metha, originally from Mumbai, has been the conductor of the
Israel Philharmonic since 1991. Previously, he led the New York
Philharmonic (1978-91), the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1962-78) and
the Montreal Symphony (1961-67).
His musical career has been a long series of "firsts". He was
the youngest man to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin
Philharmonic, the youngest to become music director of a major
American orchestra, and also the first and only music director of
the Israel Philharmonic. His debut in London, on the night of Sir
Thomas Beecham's death, was the first time any person from the
former dominion of India had appeared with a major British
orchestra.
The performers will spend four days in China, playing in
Shenzhen and Shanghai before coming to Beijing for their tour's
last show. The Beijing performance will have a touch of Chinese
musicality, with works such as Ode to the Red Flag, a symphony
written by Chinese composer Lv Qiming on the program.
Mehta had also collaborated with Chinese film director Zhang
Yimou on a stage production of Puccini's Turandot, which debuted in
Florence and was later staged eight times in Beijing's Forbidden
City.
On December 31, 8 pm. At the Great Hall of the
People.
Concert booking is available by calling 9609-6260. 200-2,800
yuan.
(Beijing Weekend December 29, 2007)
