Classical music for New Year's celebration
Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are staging two concerts at Shanghai Oriental Arts Center on January 22-23 to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
As one of the world’s prominent conductors, Muti was appointed the 10th music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It will be the third time for the 77-year-old to perform in Shanghai since his first visit in 2009.
The programs on January 22 will feature German composer Johannes Brahms’ works, such as Symphony No.1 in C Minor and Symphony No.2 in D Major, while on January 23 will feature Russian works, including Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in E Minor and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.”
Brahms’ Symphony No.1 is quite an epic work. It took him 21 years to complete, while Symphony No.2 is brief in comparison, and features a cheery and almost pastoral mood.
The theme of “fate” is there throughout Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5, and audiences will hear oriental elements in Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” created based on “The Thousand and One Nights.”
All the four programs are challenging works for the musicians both physically and psychologically. But Muti never considers it necessary for audiences to study related programs in advance.
“We do not need every audience to be expert at the concert. Experts do not necessarily feel the music better than ordinary audiences,” said Muti. “Some audiences, who have never listened to classical music very often, end up highly impressed and excited in at the concert. I would advise them do not listen to the experts, but just listen to the music with their heart.”
Performance details
Date: January 22-23, 7:30pm
Tickets: 80-2,280 yuan
Tel: 6854-1234
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Arts Center
Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong New Area
