The 10th Beijing Music Festival (BMF) kicked off in Poly Theatre Friday evening with artists from the most famous music orchestras coming to celebrate the grand ceremony, Chinese website Sina Entertainment reports.

The 10th Beijing Music Festival kicks off in Poly Theatre on Friday evening, September 21, 2007.

The Grand Opening of the festival was the All-Beethoven Program, performed by Chinese pianist Lang Lang and German conductor Daniel Barenboim with Staatskapelle Berlin, the national orchestra of Berlin. Classic pieces like Leonore Overture No.3, Op.72a, Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, Op.73 ("Emperor"), and Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67 were played during the concert.

As the first Chinese pianist who has cooperated with both Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the five top orchestras of the United States, Lang Lang will play ten piano concertos with five world famous symphony orchestras, cooperating with six great conductors during the one-month festival.

Artists from seven famous orchestras - Staatskapelle Berlin, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, China Philharmonic Orchestra and Shanghai Opera House – are attending this year's Beijing Music Festival, making the 10th anniversary of BMF the most resplendent.

The 'Chinese Concept', which the Beijing Music Festival has held for ten years, will still be emphasized this year. Peking Opera 'The Wilderness' based on the play by Chinese author Cao Yu, Opera 'Poet Li Bai', 'Poetry at the BMF - Poems and Songs of the Song Dynasty' and Singapore Chinese Orchestra Concert will all show the audience the splendor of Chinese culture.

Another feature of Beijing Music Festival is "commission"- to commit excellent composers to produce new pieces for BMF. This year, Chinese composer Tan Dun's "Secret Land: for Orchestra and 12 Violoncelli" and "Symphony No.8" from Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, together form the commission concert of BMF - "Sounding the Future: East and West".

In addition, "Heavenly Bach, Bach's Suites for Solo Cello" played by Jian Wang, '"he Nigel Kennedy Quintet: Blue Note Sessions" and Mischa Maisky - Lily Maisky's "Russian Romances" are other highlights at the BMF concerts.

With great contributions to world culture and arts exchanges, Beijing Music Festival has become a symbolic cultural activity of Beijing and a world famous international music ceremony. It has also brought the Olympic atmosphere along with six years of Olympic preparation and become a shining city card of 'Culture-enriched Olympics'.

German conductor Daniel Barenboim of Staatskapelle Berlin, the national orchestra of Berlin, performs in the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Music Festival in Poly Theatre on Friday evening, September 21, 2007.
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Chinese pianist Lang Lang plays with German conductor Daniel Barenboim in the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Music Festival in Poly Theatre on Friday evening, September 21, 2007. The curtain call of Chinese pianist Lang Lang and German conductor Daniel Barenboim in the opening ceremony of the 10th Beijing Music Festival in Poly Theatre on Friday evening, September 21, 2007.

(CRI.cn September 22, 2007)