Concluding last Sunday, the 24th Beijing Music Festival (BMF) commemorated the theme “Masters and Celebrations” with 21 unique programs over the course of 16 days. A large-scale annual international music festival founded in 1998, BMF has continued to innovate and present cutting-edge performances, becoming China’s premier cultural event of the year.
Within the “Masters and Celebrations” theme, three focuses were in the spotlight this year. The first was a dialogue between Chinese and foreign composers as a form of cultural exchange. During the closing concert, Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun performed two of his works with the China Philharmonic Orchestra alongside two works by Stravinsky. Tan Dun’s Fire Ritual – War and Peace expresses Dun’s concern – as the goodwill ambassador of UNESCO – for the world in the pandemic era. BMF also presented – with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra – the Chinese premiere of Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress, a classic in Western classical music.
Another focus of this year’s festival was creating a solid platform for talented young musicians, an important element of continuous development in music both for China and across the globe. This year, BMF presented the first Youth Music Festival by young musicians from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau and invited young soloists to perform in many concerts. BMF’s Chair of the Artistic Committee, Long Yu explains, “It is the responsibility of BMF to build a platform and pave the way for young musicians.”
The third focus was a tribute to composers celebrating landmark anniversaries such as classical masters Stravinsky, Saint-Saëns, Vivaldi, Mahler, and Chinese composer Ding Shande while also celebrating the achievements of living Chinese composers Qigang Chen, Tan Dun, and Wenjing Guo.
For Western audiences, five concerts are available to watch from this year’s festival on BMF’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The Beijing Music Festival is co-presented by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Beijing Municipal Government. Next October, the Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary.
