On May 6^th, the opening concert of NCPA May Festival will bring together domestic and overseas renowned orchestras and musicians, including cellist Li-Wei Qin, pianist SUN Yingdi, violinist LÜ Siqing, cellist ZHAO Jing, pianist CHEN Sa, percussionist LI Biao, China NCPA Octet, Shanghai Quartet, LI Biao Percussion Ensemble and French Ensemble of Eight Cellos. Together with China NCPA Orchestra under the baton of YUAN Ding, they will present the charm of chamber music to the audience.

A chamber music gala will start on May 6^th

This concert consists of three halves and two intermissions. During this “chamber music marathon”, 11 classic chamber music masterpieces, created by the nine composers including Johann Strauss Jr., Shostakovich, Verdi, Mendelssohn, Handel, Schubert, Dvorak, Piazzolla and Bach, will be performed successively. As the “old friends” of May Festival, Chinese musicians such as LÜ Siqing, Li-Wei Qin, SUN Yingdi, LI Biao and CHEN Sa, have not only staged many exquisite performances at the Concert Hall, but also actively participated in public performances outside NCPA and shared the stories of or behind chamber music during the nine years since the first May Festival was launched.

At this concert, famous violinist LÜ Siqing, the Artistic Director of May Festival this year, will give performances throughout the concert in the forms of solo, ensemble and concerto with the orchestra. In the first half, he will collaborate with two other artists of “China Trio” Li-Wei Qin and SUN Yingdi to play Movement I of Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor created by Mendelssohn. In the second half, he will play Passacaille created by Handel with cellist ZHAO Jing. In the last half, he will join hands with China NCPA Orchestra to perform Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor.

The Shanghai Quartet, consisting of first violinist LI Weigang, second violinist JIANG Yiwen, viola LI Honggang, and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras, has performed in many concert halls in Europe and America for years.The four musicians will play Movement I of String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, “Death and the Maiden” created by Franz Schubert, and two tracks in Movement I of Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major created by Dvorak, of which the piano solo is performed by pianist CHEN Sa. At the concert, China NCPA Orchestra will also perform Mozart’s Divertimento in D major under the baton of YUAN Ding. In addition, China NCPA Octet will perform the adaptation of Overture to Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus. This concert will present the most classic melody of the classical music world in the form of chamber music to the audience.

On May 11^th, after the Opening Concert, the Dragon Quartet will perform the chamber music works of Haydn and Weinberg in collaboration with the pianist ZHAO Meidi. On May 20^th, “China Trio” will hold a special concert, presenting Piano Trio No. 1 created by the young Chinese composer WANG Zhiyi. On May 21^st, Chu Yi-Bing Cello Ensemble, which includes six cellists Chu Yi-Bing, DONG Xiao, FENG Mufei, LI Cheng, WANG Junxiang and ZHANG Tianjin, will stage a performance to honour their friend Werner Thomas-Mifune, the renowned German cellist who passed away last year.