Beijing Music Festival

Beijing Music Festival is a non-profit organization which was founded in 1998 by Long Yu, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing Municipal Government. The festival has presented numerous historical performances such as the China premiere of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 (2002), the Asian premiere of Alban Berg's opera, Lulu (2002); Guo Wenjing's operas, Ye Yan (2003) and Wolf Club Village (2003); and the China premiere of Richard Wagner's complete Ring Cycle (2005).{{cite web|title=Beijing Music Festival|url=http://www.ktwong.org/collaborators/dialogue/the-beijing-music-festival/|website=KT Wong Foundation|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701160052/http://www.ktwong.org/collaborators/dialogue/the-beijing-music-festival/|archive-date=1 July 2016|url-status=dead}} The festival encourages the production of both Western and Chinese contemporary music presenting premieres and commissions by composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, Guo Wenjing, Ye Xiaogang, Tan Dun, and Howard Shore.{{cite web|last1=Jie|first1=Chen|title=Beijing festival with maestros|url=http://english.sohu.com/20041012/n222440709.shtml|website=Sohu|access-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806143213/http://english.sohu.com/20041012/n222440709.shtml|archive-date=6 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

BMF was among the first organizations in China to commission new works by Chinese composers as well as foreign composers, which has laid a strong base for international cultural exchange.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

According to CCTV BMF's 18th festival, held from October 8–24, 2015, included 18 performances by artists from over 30 countries and regions.{{cite web|title=China-Music Festival|url=http://newscontent.cctv.com/NewJsp/news.jsp?fileId=320755|website=China Central Television (CCTV)|access-date=23 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828190737/http://newscontent.cctv.com/NewJsp/news.jsp?fileId=320755|archive-date=28 August 2016|url-status=dead}} The theme was "Revel in Romance" and focused on monumental works on opposite sides of the Romantic music spectrum – Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. Highlights included conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste leading the WDR Orchestra in the ambitious Brahms 4 Plus 4 Project (four concertos and four symphonies) and Gustav Kuhn leading Tirol Festival Erl in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Tristan und Isolde.{{cite web|last1=Pellegrini|first1=Nancy|title=Guide to the Beijing Music Festival 2015|url=http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Classical__Performance/146152/Guide-to-the-Beijing-Music-Festival-2015.html|website=TimeOut Beijing|access-date=31 May 2016|archive-date=9 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209160148/http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Classical__Performance/146152/Guide-to-the-Beijing-Music-Festival-2015.html|url-status=dead}}

File:A Midsummer Night's Dream at BMF (2016).jpg at the 19th Beijing Music Festival]]

The theme of BMF's 19th festival, which was held from October 9–29, 2016 was "Musical Legacy and Innovation."{{cite web|title=World-class Performances to Headline 19th Beijing Music Festival|url=http://en.yibada.com/articles/151639/20160815/beijing-music-festival-2016-bmf-2016-beijing-music-festival-schedule.htm|website=Yibada|access-date=5 October 2016}} According to China Radio International the opening concert by China NCPA Orchestra and Chorus led by Lü Jia was the first collaboration between NCPA and BMF. The festival also presented the Chinese premiere of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Robert Carsen to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and launched a five-year planned collaboration between BMF and Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.{{cite web|last1=Honglin|first1=Niu|title=19th Beijing Music Festival opens|url=http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/08/05/4083s936582.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806152450/http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/08/05/4083s936582.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 6, 2016|website=CRI (China Radio International)|access-date=5 October 2016}} Other performances included Mozart's Don Giovanni presented as an immersive theatrical experience with visual effects; Blank Out, a 3D mini opera by Dutch composer Michel van der Aa; and the complete symphonic works of Tchaikovsky.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Held from October 8 to 29, 2017, the theme of BMF's 2017 festival was "Beijing Music Festival at 20" to commemorate its 20th anniversary.{{cite web|title=The 20th Beijing Music Festival: Musical Legacy & Innovation|url=http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=128739|website=Top 40 Charts|access-date=24 October 2017}} Highlights of the 41 events and outreach activities included an 11-hour orchestral marathon with nine Chinese symphony orchestras, {{cite web|last1=Smith|first1=Ken|title=Orchestral Marathon, Poly Theatre, Beijing — 11 hours of musical bounty|url=https://www.ft.com/content/831c2e42-b27c-11e7-8007-554f9eaa90ba|website=The Financial Times|access-date=25 November 2017}} a joint production with Salzburg Easter Festival of Richard Wagner's opera Die Walküre with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden,{{cite web|last1=Pellegrini|first1=Nancy|title=The best of Beijing Music Festival 2017|url=http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Stage/161152/The-best-of-Beijing-Music-Festival-2017.html|website=TimeOut Beijing|access-date=25 November 2017|archive-date=20 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120041021/http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Stage/161152/The-best-of-Beijing-Music-Festival-2017.html|url-status=dead}} and the premiere of Qigang Chen's Violin Concerto by violinist Maxim Vengerov at the closing concert.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Outreach events including the world premiere of the immersive opera, Orfeo, by Fay Kueen Wang a musical theater adaptation of Leoš Janácek's song cycle, The Diary of One Who Disappeared;{{cite web |last=Salazar |first=Francisco |title=The Beijing Music Festival as a Microcosm for the Great Chinese City |url=http://operawire.com/the-beijing-music-festival-as-a-microcosm-for-the-great-chinese-city/ |website=OperaWire |access-date=20 December 2018}} George Benjamin's Written on Skin; The Orphan of Zhao;{{cite news|last=Wong|first=Edward|author-link=Edward Wong|title=Theater Director Returns to China With 'Liberating and Cool' Vision |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/world/asia/chen-shi-zheng-beijing-music-festival.html|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=19 December 2018}} and two concerts celebrating Leonard Bernstein's centenary.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

With the theme "Timeless Music in the Future," BMF's 22nd festival was held from October 4-28, 2019.{{cite web |last1=Griffith |first1=Will |title=Beijing Music Festival Returns for 22nd Year, Oct 4-28 |url=https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2019/09/30/beijing-music-festival-returns-22nd-year-oct-4-28 |website=The Beijinger |access-date=5 December 2019}} The festival presented 16 distinct programs including operas, symphonic concerts, recitals, chamber music concerts, and virtual reality music experiences.{{cite web |last1=BWW News Desk |title=The 22nd Beijing Music Festival Presents Unique Music Experiences |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/china/article/The-22nd-Beijing-Music-Festival-Presents-Unique-Music-Experiences-20190906 |website=Broadway World |access-date=5 December 2019}} It began with an 8-hour performance of Max Richter's Sleep at the foot of the Great Wall of China.{{cite web |last1=Strauss |first1=Matthew |title=Max Richter to Perform at the Great Wall of China for 8 Hours |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/max-richter-to-perform-at-the-great-wall-of-china-for-8-hours |website=Pitchfork |access-date=5 December 2019}} Additional performances included the Asian premiere of Eight, a mixed-reality musical theater work written by Michel van der Aa and co-commissioned by BMF; the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel's Bone by Du Yun; and the China premiere of Handel's Xerxes performed by Opera Fuoco and David Stern. Guest artists included sopranos Renée Fleming and Edita Gruberová, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, prodigy Alma Deutscher, maestros Long Yu, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, and Pinchas Zukerman, and BMF's first resident orchestra Mahler Chamber Orchestra, among others. BMF also presented the world premiere of Aaron Zigman's Tango Manos Piano Concerto.{{cite web |last1=ZIgman |first1=Aaron |title=Tango Manos, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra |url=https://www.aaronzigman.com/orchestralworks |website=Aaron Zigman |access-date=14 November 2020}}

BMF's 23rd festival took place from October 10–20, 2020 and included 240 hours of non-stop music, for which the festival purchased all the copyrights in an effort to encourage fellow Chinese organizations to follow its lead.{{cite web |title=Beijing Music Festival Presents Over 240 Hours Of Online Streaming and 20 Diverse Performances On Stage |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/china/article/Beijing-Music-Festival-Presents-Over-240-Hours-Of-Online-Streaming-and-20-Diverse-Performances-On-Stage-20200908 |website=Broadway World |access-date=14 November 2020}} With the theme "Music Must Go On" in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic which shuttered many live performances worldwide, BMF presented music both online and offline.{{cite web |title=23rd Beijing Music Festival to kick off in October featuring virtual performances |url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/los-angeles-times/20200930/282475711275646 |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=14 November 2020}} The opening concert featured the world premiere of "To 2020" by Wuhan composer Zou Ye and was performed by Wuhan musicians in honor of Wuhan, which suffered great losses due to the pandemic.{{cite web |title=China classical music festival to feature Wuhan musicians |url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-pandemics-music-classical-music-concerts-b95bb70ba15efb704d709d85f7d81203 |website=AP |access-date=14 November 2020}} For the first time, select BMF concerts were available for Western audiences to watch online via Facebook. Other concerts included several children's concert including a performance of Karen LeFrak's "Sleepover at the Museum"; a celebration of Beethoven's 250th anniversary including all ten of his violin sonatas, 32 piano sonatas, five piano concertos, and nine symphonies; a documentary in memory of conductor and composer Krzysztof Penderecki; the BMF debut of the Suzhou Chinese Orchestra; ten Music at Noon concerts;{{cite web |title=Beijing Music Festival Concludes After 10 Days Of Nonstop Music |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/china/article/Beijing-Music-Festival-Concludes-After-10-Days-Of-Nonstop-Music-20201030 |website=Broadway World |access-date=14 November 2020}} and the festival closing performance in celebration of China Philharmonic's 20th anniversary with five 20-year-old Chinese artists joining.{{cite web |title=Young musicians to close Beijing Music Festival |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202010/19/WS5f8cf8eca31024ad0ba7f7cc.html |website=China Daily |access-date=14 November 2020}}

"Masters and Celebrations" was the theme for BMF's 24th festival, which took place from October 9-24, 2021.{{cite web |title=The 24th Beijing Music Festival Unveiled: "Masters and Celebrations" |url=https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=48271&categoryid=5&archived=0 |website=Musical America |access-date=25 November 2021}} The Festival presented 21 unique programs over 16 days.{{cite web |title=24th Beijing Music Festival Draws to a Close; Honors "Masters and Celebrations" |url=https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=48915&categoryid=5&archived=0 |website=Musical America |access-date=25 November 2021}} Five concerts are available to watch online including the closing gala conducted by Tan Dun featuring works the premiere of Dun's new version of Fire Ritual – War and Peace written for the world in the pandemic era.{{cite web |title=Beijing Music Festival |url=https://www.facebook.com/BeijingMusicFestival |website=Facebook |access-date=25 November 2021}} The festival presented the Chinese premiere of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in addition to the first Youth Music Festival featuring young musicians from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Macau. BMF also celebrated landmark anniversaries for composers including Stravinsky, Saint-Saëns, Vivaldi, Mahler, and Chinese composers Ding Shande, Qigang Chen, Tan Dun, and Wenjing Guo.{{cite web |title=24th Beijing Music Festival Draws to a Close; Honors "Masters and Celebrations" |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/24th-beijing-music-festival-draws-224800879.html |website=Yahoo! Finance |access-date=25 November 2021}}

Highlighting music from East and West, the 2023 Beijing Music Festival took place from September 22 to October 15. It was BMF's 25th/26th festival — postponed from 2022 because of Covid — and consisted of 28 performances. With the theme of Music·Youth·Future·Attitude, the festival opened with the world premiere of Homage to Liu Tianhua, in memory of Liu, China's pioneer of modern music.{{cite web |last=Cristi |first=A. A.|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/china/article/Beijing-Music-Festival-2023-Events-Announced-20230814|title=Beijing Music Festival 2023 Events Announced|date=14 August 2023|website=BroadwayWorld|access-date=10 November 2023}} It was composed by Zou Ye and is based on Liu's instrumental music. At a September 26 jazz concert, the Icelandic cellist and singer Laufey Lin performed with the China Philharmonic Orchestra under Jin Yukuang. The Shanghai Quartet returned on October 2, performing Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite and John Adams's Absolute Jest with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. From October 10 to 15, the Mahler Foundation Festival Orchestra performed four concerts with a "Dialogue with Mahler" theme, curated and conducted by conductor John Warner. Joined by a range of soloists including Wu Wei, Juxiao Fu and Yunpeng Wang they gave world premieres of works by Sasha Scott, Zhenyan Li, Wang Ying and Faykueen Wang and Chinese premieres of works by Sir George Benjamin and Olivier Messiaen.{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Colin|url=https://www.classical-music.uk/features/article/a-factory-for-future-stars-east-meets-west-at-the-beijing-music-festival|title='A factory for future stars': East meets West at the Beijing Music Festival|date=27 October 2023|website=Classical Music UK |access-date=10 November 2023}} The festival also programmed the symphonic dance The Monkey King, composed by Liu Sola and inspired by the classic animated movie. On September 30, Beijing's Poly Theatre staged Pastoral for the Planet, a visual symphony by the Spanish avant-garde theater troupe La Fura dels Baus.{{cite web|last=Sobel|first=Jon|url=https://blogcritics.org/beijing-music-festival-returns-with-24-days-of-music-opera-and-multimedia/|title=Beijing Music Festival Returns with 24 Days of Music, Opera, and Multimedia|date=19 September 2023|website=Blogcritics |access-date=10 November 2023}} Three concerts were also held at the Divine Music Administration of the Temple of Heaven.{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Colin|url=https://www.classicalexplorer.com/the-london-sinfonietta-in-beijings-forbidden-city/|title=The London Sinfonietta in Beijing's Forbidden City|date=19 October 2023|website=classicalexplorer.com|access-date=10 November 2023}} The festival concluded with the BMF Festival Orchestra Gala.

In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, BMF commissioned a second version of Krzysztof Penderecki's Symphony No. 8. The new version included an anonymous 15th-century Chinese poem and is 30 minutes longer than the original work. The commissioned version premiered on October 24, 2007 by the China Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of its composer.{{cite web|title=10th Beijing Music Festival|url=http://www.bmf.org.cn/en/history_10_5.html|website=Beijing Music Festival|access-date=23 May 2016}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

BMF co-commissioned Zhou Long's first opera, Madame White Snake, with Opera Boston, which marked the first collaboration between BMF and an American opera company. Based on the Chinese legend of the White Snake, the work was premiered in Boston by Opera Boston on February 26, 2010 and then in China on October 27, 2010 during the 13th Beijing Music Festival.{{cite web|last1=Tsioulcas|first1=Anastasia|title=Madame White Snake|url=http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/13971-madame-white-snake/|website=WQXR|access-date=23 May 2016}}

The BMF Arts Foundation commissioned Howard Shore's Ruin and Memory, a concerto for piano and orchestra written for and premiered by Lang Lang with the China Philharmonic conducted by Long Yu on October 11, 2010. The three-movement work was written in celebration of Frédéric Chopin's 200th anniversary. Shore commented "The piece is really my musical reflection of Chopin's time and the life he lived. The title captures a bit of Chopin's life, about where he came from and the world he lived in, and what became of him when that world no longer existed."{{cite web|title=Howard Shore's Ruin and Memory Premiered by Lang Lang at the Beijing Music Festival|url=http://www.schott-music.com/news/archive/show,4865.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150310003809/http://www.schott-music.com/news/archive/show,4865.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 March 2015|website=Schott Music|access-date=31 May 2016}}

BMF commissioned the opera, Song of Farewell by Ye Xiaogang, and gave the world premiere during the closing concerts of the 13th festival, October 30 and 31, 2010. The work fuses Peking opera and Western opera with its traditional Chinese staging and Puccini-like score. The work is based on the Chinese film Farewell My Concubine.{{cite web|last1=Fabius|first1=Charles|title=Beijing Music Festival 2010: China's Future in Performing Arts|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-fabius/beijing-music-festival-20_1_b_780120.html|website=Huffington Post}}

BMF partners with the Central Conservatory of Music to hold master classes for music students with such musicians as Isaac Stern, Ken Nagano, Fou Ts'ong, Warren Mok, Melvyn Tan, Jian Wang, and the Kodály Quartet. They also hold free children's concerts, pre-performance lectures, and student concerts.{{cite web|title=Mercuria Marks 8th Year Sponsoring Beijing International Music Festival|url=http://www.mercuria.com/media-room/community-news/mercuria-marks-8th-year-sponsoring-beijing-international-music-festival|website=Mercuria|access-date=31 May 2016}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2020}}

The artistic committee includes:

• Long Yu (Chair), artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic and of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
• Gao Jianjin, dean of Music Education at Central Conservatory of Music
• Lang Lang, pianist and founder of Lang Lang International Music Foundation
• Li Liuyi, stage director
• Li Nan, president of China Philharmonic Orchestra and vice chairman of Poly Cultural Group
• Wang Cizhao, president of Central Conservatory of Music
• Xu PeiDong, composer and vice chairman of CFLAC, vice chairman of Chinese Musicians Association
• Song Tu, program director of Beijing Music Festival Arts Foundation （secretary-general since 2008）

• List of classical music festivals
• Long Yu
• List of festivals in China

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Official|http://bmf.org.cn/EN}}

Category:Classical music festivals in China

Category:Jazz festivals in China

Category:Opera festivals

Category:Autumn in China