The upcoming 10-day Shanghai International Spring Music Festival has an interesting opening day next week. On the morning of May 5, a mass orchestra of 3,000 musicians playing erhu (the Chinese two-string musical instrument) will present a concert on Nanjing Road under two conductors and 30 assistant conductors.

And that night, an opera by French composer Hector Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust, will be staged in the Shanghai Oriental Art Center by the Shanghai Opera House and L'Orchestre de Picardie from France.

The two events are typical of the festival's program and spirit which seeks to appeal to all musical tastes. During the festival, which runs through May 15, a total of 71 shows will be performed to suit both refined and popular tastes in music.

The Damnation of Faust is based on Goethe's famous story and tells of a restless, and despairing figure who is disgusted with his life.

"I've altered the medieval background but highlighted the 'good and evil' theme," says director Li Wei. "I want the show to be closer to a modern audience."

Chinese tenor Chi Liming, whose fame rose to greater heights after his performance in Puccini's Turandot in Japan last year, will star as Faust. French mezzo-soprano Anne Pareuil will play Margarita, Faust's beloved.

After Faust, L'Orchestre de Picardie will present a concert of French classical music on May 6.

Also from France are concerts by French singer Patricia Kaas and Offenbach's renowned opera La Vie Parisienne. Kaas has been regarded as one of the most popular singers in France ever since her album Mademoiselle Chante which was a big hit in 1988.

Chen Jiezhang, from the organizing committee of the festival, says other highlights to be presented include nine concerts that will showcase the latest works of modern composers.

"We love ancient classical music but we should also pay attention to the new creations of our times," he says.

The new works include Offertorrium by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina and All in the Spring Wind by Zhou Wenzhong. The latest work of another Chinese composer, Chen Qigang's Le Songe D'une Femme Francaise for soprano, clarinet and orchestra will have its world premiere during the festival.

Lovers of traditional Chinese music have not been forgotten. Flautist Tang Junqiao, concertmaster of the Shanghai Traditional Music Orchestra, will appear with the China Youth Traditional Music Orchestra on May 10.

For theatergoers with an exotic taste, the Girls Band from St Mary's College in New Zealand will present a concert with a strong Maori cultural flavor on May 12.

The festival has also attracted a galaxy of internationally acclaimed violinists including Hilary Hahn, Huang Mengla and Li Chuanyun.

Hahn, the 25-year-old Grammy award-winner will play a series of violin and piano sonatas by Mozart, Bach and Faure in her recital in the Shanghai Concert Hall on May 15.

The festival will close with a concert in the Shanghai Grand Theater to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Chinese composer Xian Xinghai when his most renowned symphony The Yellow River will be played.

(Shanghai Daily April 30, 2005)

La Damnation de Faust
Date: 7:30pm, May 5
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Arts
Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 120-480 yuan
Tel: 6248-5842

Hilary Hahn violin recital
Date: 7:30pm, May 15
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Rd E.
Tickets: 80-400 yuan
Tel: 6386-2836

Patricia Kaas Shanghai concert
Date: 7:15pm, May 13
Venue: Shanghai Luwan
Gymnasium, 128 Zhaojiabang Rd
Tickets: 100-880 yuan
Tel: 962-288, 6247-2010

Flautist Tang Junqiao's concert
Date: 7:15pm, May 10
Venue: He Luting Concert Hall, 20 Fenyang Rd
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
Tel: 6217-2426

The Girls Band from St Mary's College, New Zealand
Date: 7:15pm, May 10
Venue: Shanghai Art Theater,
466 Jiangning Rd
Tickets: 50-180 yuan
Tel: 6217-2426