Beijing Modern Music Festival opens

Beijing Modern Music Festival opens. [Photo/CCTV.com]

The annual Beijing Modern Music Festival raised its curtain on Sunday with a symphony concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The opening concert commemorates the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War Two.

Sunday night opened with The Mast at Dawn. The raw emotions of the percussion solo was complemented by the symphony orchestra, resulting in a unified whole.

The mastermind and driving force behind the festival, Ye Xiaogang has dedicated himself to promoting and introducing Chinese modern music to the world. His piece Namura Cuo featured in a concert at the Central Conservatory of Music on the second day of the festival.

Namura Cuo is composed for violin and ensemble. Ye, a celebrated composer himself, drew inspiration from the sacred lakes on the high plateau of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The melodic strain rendered by the violin depicts the holiness of the lakes, and a faint sense of sorrow.

The piece was presented by the American Asian New Music Ensemble, consisting of up-and-coming musicians from a multitude of cultural backgrounds.

The second day also saw musician Liu Sola, whose chamber work "In-Corporeal 1" examines the relationship between physical energy and spiritual force.

The Beijing Modern Music Festival was established in 2002. Over the years the annual event has gained a growing reputation in encouraging original modern music works and supporting burgeoning musicians with a creative mind. It is also a platform for Chinese musicians and their foreign peers to communicate and exchange ideas.

Apart from concerts, the 2015 Beijing Modern Music Festival also features lectures, master classes, and seminars, with its hope to bind art and the general public through music.

The festival runs until June 2nd.