Yo-Yo Ma is kicking off a national tour on Nov 3 in Shanghai, performing the world premiere of a double concerto composed by Zhao Lin to be played on the cello and sheng, a traditional Chinese reed pipe.
Ma will be collaborating with top orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The concert combines an intriguing mix of Western and traditional Chinese orchestral music. Before Ma stages Zhao's latest composition, the orchestra will perform Chinese composer Guo Wenjing's Chinese folk music suite composed for orchestra and his famous concerto for dizi (bamboo flute) and orchestra Chou Kong Shan.
The concerto is demanding on the dizi player, with extremely long notes evoking vast mountains and short notes mimicking the sound of babbling creeks. Conductor Yu Long will join the concert tour.
7:30 pm, Nov 9. Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, west of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6559-8285.