This Friday, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra will be performing a classical set at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. They will be led by prominent conductor Lin Daye. International cellist sensation Wang Jian will be featured.
Lin and Wang have collaborated before, yet it will be exciting to see how they come together with the local orchestra to deliver two significant works in classical music history. The first is Edward Elgar’s “Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85,” the English composer’s last notable work. This is a piece that was composed after World War I under tense conditions, and it should come through in the music. The work did not achieve wide popularity until the 1960s, when a recording by Jacqueline du Pre caught the public’s imagination and became a classical best-seller.
The concerto will be followed by Austrian conductor Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1 in D Major.” This symphony has seen a lot of development and is said to have made its mark on the musical landscape with its integration of the German lied. Perhaps the symphony holds other secrets to be discovered. This symphony is sometimes called “Titan,” although it is not its official name. When you see the work in action, hopefully the complexity of these movements will rightfully represent that nickname.
Time: 8 p.m., July 21
Tickets: 50-280 yuan
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, intersection of Hongli Road and Yitian Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路和益田路交汇处深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D
(Artie Zhang)