A jam-packed holiday schedule for Shanghai Concert Hall
The Shanghai Concert Hall will host 13 concerts, a guided tour, and two outreach art programs during the forthcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday.
The holiday events feature a combination of classic masterpieces performed by top musical ensembles, entertaining concerts for children, and well-known themes from movies and animation films.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Friday, pianists Fang Min and Qian Ruiyan will perform "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" as a piano duet, with interactive sections such as learning the folk melodies, imitating the dances, impromptu musical performances, and collaborations between parents and children.
On Sunday, an interactive multimedia concert designed to introduce children to well-known piano compositions through the pianist's humorous and interactive musical storytelling will be staged.
On October 4 and 5, there will be two outreach programs for children between the ages of 8 and 13. The young participants will assume the role of "trainee manager" at the 93-year-old venue and gain an insider's perspective on its operation.
The holiday season also features performances by some of the world's finest musicians who have returned to Shanghai.
The Philharmonix Vienna Berlin Music Club, comprised of three members of the Vienna Philharmonic, two members of the Berlin Philharmonic, an Austrian pianist, and a violinist, will perform in Shanghai on Wednesday evening before heading to three other Chinese cities with a repertoire incorporating classical, jazz, Latin, and pop music elements.
The Philharmonic String Quintet Berlin returns after a five-year absence with a program on Beethoven, Paganini, Anton Bruckner, and Tchaikovsky masterpieces.
The chamber music group employs a double bass instead of a second viola or a second cello, which is more commonly seen in a quintet, so that all five string sections of the orchestra are represented.
Familiar film scores from "Titanic" and "The Godfather" will be performed alongside the well-known works of the Japanese pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
On October 3 and 5, two concerts will feature music from anime films, such as tunes composed by Joe Hisaishi for anime director Hayao Miyazaki.
