New journeys after the LÜ’s “The Bruckner Ciphers”

The finest tribute to an individual is the internalisation of their spirit. Under the baton of Director LÜ Jia, we have completed Bruckner’s nine symphonies in a quintessentially “Brucknerian” manner. Slowly, humbly and devoutly, we have honed our most refined interpretation of each symphony, repeating the process nine times over four years, earning the sobriquet “LÜ-ckner”. This endeavour has shown us that our age is not entirely consumed by frivolity, clamour, and entertainment; that simplicity and purity, profound and focused emotion, and resolute magnanimity still wield their invincible power. As Bruckner’s bicentenary draws to a close, this complete Bruckner cycle, recorded in pristine acoustic conditions, will finally see the light of day.

Our new journey with the music director begins close to home: our commemoration of the centenary of Puccini’s death takes the form of a panoramic presentation of his 12 operas; the recording project of Mozart’s titled symphonies commences with the two beautiful cities Paris and Prague; our approach to Richard Strauss, the next composer we plan to study in depth, begins with his lavishly orchestrated final tone poem An Alpine Symphony; and most anticipated of all, after 14 years of accumulated operatic production expertise, the NCPA finally launches Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, with Director LÜ Jia's Das Rheingold serving as the overture to the new season, culminating in a complete tetralogy in 2026.

Heralds of the Time: A Movement of Paris

In the previous season, we briefly expounded upon the Second Viennese School in our series “Heralds of the Time”. Naturally, another core cultural arena of the era – Paris – seems indispensable to discuss. From this former cradle of enlightenment, vanguard of revolution, and most turbulent crucible of ideas, emerged the entirely new visage of 20th-century painting, poetry, and music. Amidst the nourishment, permeation, and antagonistic interplay with Austro-Germanic music, and in the fusion and collision with Russian, Arab, and Oriental aesthetics, a unique and inimitable French aesthetic took shape. However, styles, schools, and various ‘-isms’ were neither in a relationship of linear succession nor progression thereupon, but rather paralleling or intersecting with each other, simultaneously in opposition yet inevitably influenced by one another. Thus, composition acquired elements of power, ‘politics’ and deliberate artificiality apart from natural exploration and evolution. Therefore, French music since the 20th century defies simple categorisation, but Laurent Petitgirard, a member and the Permanent Secretary of the Académie des Beaux-Arts provides us with a lucid and critical exposition as an excellent narrator. This season, we will hear many novel French voices, from Debussy and Ravel to Les Six, from Messiaen and Dutilleux to Boulez... Observing contemporary French music offers us considerable inspirations and reflections: As individuals, do we have the courage to question the established narrative of music history? As composers, when faced with aesthetic hegemony, are we aware of and still insist on our own styles and choices? For China's creative milieu, have we already forged our unique language amidst the impact of tradition, heritage, and Western influences?

Portraits of Shostakovich

In Shostakovich’s era, compositional styles were often laden with excessive social connotations, with composers either voluntarily or involuntarily aligned with different stances or camps, used as shields or weapons. They resonated or clashed now and again, inexorably shifting their compositional strategies with the zeitgeist. Fifty years after his passing, Shostakovich’s story and those of his contemporaries remain vivid, and their works perhaps should be better ‘understood’ through attentive listening. To portray different facets of Shostakovich, the season systematically arranges his piano, violin, and cello concertos alongside the representative Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, offering a rare complete concerto cycle; in the film score The Gadfly Suite, the composer's beautiful and tender facet leaps off the page, perhaps momentarily setting aside the world’s torment on him to reveal his romantic sincere heart; and his String Quartet No. 8, composed in memory of the war victims, carries a wealth of complex and weighty emotions, hailed as a requiem written for himself.

New Works and New Voices

The most tantalising part of the season is always the premiere of new works. The three pieces commissioned by the NCPA and its affiliating orchestra are: Sentiments: Autumn Reflections by YAO Chen, tailored for Yang Shen; the symphonic tale The Story of Hua’er by ZHAO Jiping; and Tipping Point by Huang Ruo, which is an environmental-themed work initiated jointly with Marin Alsop alongside orchestras from five continents. The productions making their Beijing debut include another symphonic drama after Peer Gynt, Romeo and Juliet with a script adapted by Yuan-Pu Chiao and David Wang playing over ten roles; the Chinese premiere of Frenesia by Detlev Glanert, one of the most frequently performed contemporary German composers, paying homage to Ein Heldenleben; and rarely performed contemporary French music such as Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître in the “Herald of the Time” series. The shortlisted works from the NCPA Young Composer Programme will also be performed successively.

“Petit and Delicacy” and “NCPAO in Chamber Plus”

As the orchestra gradually approaches its target expanded size, we have finally decided to pave an independent category for the chamber, hence the debut of the “Petit and Delicacy” series. Highlights include soprano SONG Yuanming performing Britten's Les Illuminations, Kevin Zhu, who astounded the audience at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, performing Vivaldi and Piazzolla’s “Eight Seasons”, the soul-stirring guitar repertoire by SU Meng, the winner of top prizes in three continents' prestigious competitions, performing with the string orchestra, as well as classic works by Tchaikovsky and Respighi.

The “NCPAO in Chamber Plus” series will include significant chamber works such as Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (featuring Haochen Zhang), Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1. Furthermore, this series will also feature Andrea Giuffredi and NCPAO Brass Ensemble presenting a collection of Giuffredi’s arrangements in the brass concert “Summer Fanfare”, as well as the principal percussionist Liu Heng’s composition showcase, and main works from the “Herald of the Time” and “Portraits of Shostakovich” series.

The Musicians

It is the collective brilliance of exceptional musicians that have nurtured these ideas with us and will ultimately bring them to fruition. Besides Music Director LÜ Jia and Assistant Conductors LAI Jiajing, we shall witness a procession of distinguished batons: Markus Stenz, Hannu Lintu, ZHANG Guoyong, SUN Yifan, Laurent Petitgirard, ZHANG Yi, Jaap van Zweden, ZHANG Jiemin, Xian Zhang, Lawrence Foster, HUANG Yi, and Myung-Whun Chung, with the latter leading the concluding European tour. Indeed, this season heralds our debut appearances at exciting venues such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

The Artist-in-Residence ZHANG Haochen and the Composer-in-Focus GUO Wenjing will grace our season with more appearances throughout the entire period. Zhang's ambitious programme encompasses not only the aforementioned chamber music but also a Herculean feat: a marathon concert featuring Rachmaninoff's four concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody, as well as a coupling of Liszt's First and Second Piano Concertos. He will also join us on our China tour. GUO Wenjing's composer-in-focus programme, as is customary, spans two seasons, with the first year featuring three works selected by the composer – the bamboo flute concerto Wildfire, Spring View for zheng and orchestra, and Chinese Folk Ditties Suite. The subsequent season promises two major new works: the opera Red Sorghum and a symphonic work based on modern Chinese poetry for the second half of the concert. Further lectures and masterclasses will offer close encounters and interactions with Haochen Zhang, GUO Wenjing, and an array of guest musicians.

The season highlights several commemorative concerts marking several celebratory moments of reunion. In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Talks at the Beijing Forum on Literature and Art, NCPAO joins forces with TANG Junqiao, LU Wei, HU Shengnan, WANG Hongwei, China NCPA Chorus, and The Beijing Philharmonic Choir under the baton of ZHANG Guoyong in the concert “The Torch Carriers”, featuring works by three generations of composers, illuminating the bounteous fruition of original compositions nurtured by the national cultural policies. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations, ZHANG Yi conducts a programme of works by Messiaen and Qigang Chen, featuring seven soloists including GU Jieting, ZHAO Lili, DUAN Aiai, and YANG Tingting. On Puccini's death centenary, Director LÜ Jia joins eight vocalists including Jinxu Xiahou, ZHOU Xiaolin, and GU Wenmeng in an evening of arias. There are also a wealth of musical reunions and debuts worth enumerating: “veteran” artists who have collaborated with NCPAO multiple times such as Lang Lang, NING Feng, Jan Vogler, as well as young new faces making their inaugural collaborations like Chiyan Wong, Conrad Tao, JU Xiaofu, CHEN Yibai and SU Meng. The participation of The Beijing Philharmonic Choir will infuse the ‘Festival Waltz 2025’ concert with pure, enchanting timbre of children's voices for the first time.

We hope to present a greater cartography of the world through the music of this season.