Shenzhen Daily   2010-1-1

Debra Li

FOR the first time, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) staged a concert Thursday night at the Shenzhen Concert Hall under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

Unlike the conventional New Year concerts that feature works of the Strauss father and son, the LPO program included Dvorak's "Carnival Overture," "Symphony No. 8" and "Symphony No. 9" — the composer's most frequently performed piece, also known as the "New World Symphony."

"The programs we have chosen are happy and fit well into the festive season," the conductor told a news briefing before the show.

The program on New Year's Day will comprise imaginative pieces including Tchaikovsky's "Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture." The conductor said although that piece was from a tragedy, the music was a masterpiece and very romantic. The rest of that program includes symphonic poem "Francesca da Rimini," suites from Stravinsky's groundbreaking "Firebird" and Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite," a piece originally composed for children.

"This might not be the conventional or mainstream choice of program for a New Year's concert, but this is the result of our negotiations with the organizers and reflects the sophisticated taste of the Chinese audience," Eschenbach said.

The LPO had given a New Year's concert at the Great Hall of People in Beijing in 2004 and the orchestra decided to give this year's New Year concert in Shenzhen.

The conductor said he hoped the music would move and touch people, no matter what languages they spoke. "Conducting the same program is never routine for me," he said, "because there is a kind of chemistry between me and the orchestra. Each concert is a special event for me, and I hope the audience can feel my personal style."

Timothy Walker, manager of the LPO, said the orchestra was owned by the musicians. As their future is tied to the orchestra, everyone works hard to keep up the standard of each concert.

"I believe that music should be an indispensable part of life," Walker said. To live that belief, the orchestra has contributed much to musical education programs to cultivate next-generation classical music enthusiasts.

To instill more talent and variety into the orchestra, the LPO has contracted players from 26 nationalities in its strings section, including one Chinese.

The orchestra worked extensively with Hollywood and the U.K. film industry, recording soundtracks for blockbuster movies like the Oscar-winning score for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and scores for "Lawrence of Arabia."

"That also helps people to get to know us better and accept orchestral music," Walker said.