National orchestra to play Latin music

Colombian dancers Yndira Perea Cuesta and Willian Camilo Perlaza rehearse with the China National Orchestra. [Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily]

China will meet Latin America in a musical extravaganza at the closing ceremony of the 14th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

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On May 25, a group of musicians from the China National Orchestra will play 13 compositions from 18 Latin American countries, including Uruguay, Mexico and Cuba. The show will bring the curtains down on a festival where more than 20 troupes and 190 bands from more than 30 countries performed at various locations in the city throughout the month.

The Chinese artists will use traditional Chinese folk instruments, such as the erhu (a traditional two-stringed bowed instrument), pipa (a four-stringed musical instrument), sheng (a free reed instrument played with the mouth) and ruan (a plucked string instrument) to perform the Latin music feat.

"Some of our best folk musicians, such as pipa player Zhao Cong and ruan player Feng Mantian, will perform in the concert. They will prove that anything can be interpreted by the centuries-old Chinese folk instruments. The concert will offer both Chinese and Western audiences a different taste of Chinese folk music," says Xi Qiang, director of the China National Orchestra.

Earlier this year, more than 100 musicians from the orchestra performed a re-arranged version of American singer Katy Perry's hit song Roar, when she made her debut in Beijing.

It is easier for the orchestra to adapt lone songs into Chinese folk music but challenging when it comes to working on multiple foreign tunes like the Latin venture, Xi says.

"Latin American music is full of beats and strong passion. It contrasts with traditional Chinese folk music, which is mainly soft and soothing," he says.

"We have tried different versions for each song to make the result sound as natural and harmonious as possible."

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