Classical celebration

Chinese conductor Tan Dun will take the baton of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra to present Farewell My Concubine.

The band also includes Lee Knight, an American folk singer and storyteller, who plays the banjo, the Appalachian dulcimer and the mouth bow.

Among the BMF's other offerings are Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream and performances by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Jiri Belohlavek and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is a tribute marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, is coproduced with the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, with which the BMF has signed a five-year contract.

Elaborating on the agreement, Yu Long, founder and artistic director of the BMF, says: "The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence (an annual international music festival held in Provence, France) is mainly devoted to operas, and the BMF is also dedicated to promoting opera in China. So,we share the same values."

Speaking about Britten's show, which is being performed outside Europe for the first time, Yusays: "It's his trademark work. Festival d'Aix-en-Provence premiered it in 1991 and revived it last year to mark the 150th anniversary of the Bard's birth."

The festival ends on Oct 29, when the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the Poly Theater under Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden. The concert will also feature Chinese violinist Yang Tianwa.