Classical celebration

Dutch composer of contemporary classical music Michel van der Aa's Blank Out will stage its Asian premiere during the Beijing Music Festival at The Orange at Sanlitun South.

"The purpose of the festival is to share classical music with more people. Somehow, to some people, classical music is a world far removed from their own," says Tu Song, the BMF program director.

"They feel that highbrow music in formal halls has nothing to do with their lives. We are trying to change that and offer a variety of music, not only the serious symphonies. We want to make it easier for audiences, especially young people who like nightlife."

The Red will see two multimedia music productions－a contemporary version of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni and Fugitive, music theater based on Schubert's song cycle Winter Journey (Die Winterreise).

Silent Opera from Britain promises to "bring you opera as you've never experienced before".

Speaking about Don Giovanni, Daisy Evans, the artist director, says it is an "opera for the next generation".

Don Giovanni is a deconstructed and reimagined version of Mozart's classics. Using digital sound, live manipulation and electronic sampling, Mozart's music is brought hurtling into the digital age.

Winter Journey was composed by Schubert to a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Muller. The poems tell of how the poet lost his lover in the cold winter. They use a distinct narrative and dramatic sequence.

For the production, Chinese bass-baritone Shen Yang sings while Shao Lu performs on the piano.