The Beijing Symphony Orchestra held a concert that highlighted music pieces by Sergei Prokofiev on Saturday, under the baton of conductor Tang Muhai at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre.
The concert selected three representative works from different periods in Prokofiev's compositional career.
It opened with Prokofiev's early masterpiece, the Symphony No 1 in D Major, "Classical". Known for its modern reinterpretation of Haydn's classical style, this piece is one of Tang's specialties and one of the first he performed with the Central Philharmonic Society, now the China National Symphony Orchestra, during the 1980s after he became the orchestra's resident conductor.
On the day of the concert, Tang conducted in his signature style — without a podium — maneuvering throughout the orchestra, at times leaning down to whisper to the violin section, and other times using sweeping gestures to ignite the power of the brass.
Next came the technically demanding and emotionally rich Violin Concerto No 1 in D Major. Renowned violinist Yang Xiaoyu took the solo for a musical dialogue with the orchestra under Tang's direction.
The second half of the concert featured the monumental final movement of the Symphony No 5 in B-flat Major, Op 100. Composed in 1944, this work reflects the composer's profound reflections on war, humanity, and triumph.
