Music that binds the world

Two Countries, One Stage concerts, presented by Qingdao Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society of Washington from the United States. Zou Hong / China Daily

The works being performed include: Torch Festival, composed by Chinese musician Wang Xilin; The Butterfly Lovers, featuring violinist Lyu Siqing; and Carmina Burana, composed by Carl Orff and featuring Chinese baritone Yang Xiaoyong, soprano Song Yuanming and tenor Zheng Yao.

"The Chinese musicians did a great job on interpreting Carmina Burana, one of the best known works of Orff in 1935, while cooperating with the choral," says Scott Tucker, artistic director of the Choral Arts Society of Washington, one of the major symphonic choruses in the United States. It was founded in 1965 by famed composer and conductor, Norman Scribner (1936-2015).

"It's true that music brings people together."

Tucker says the lyrics of Carmina Burana were taken from a 13th-century collection of poetry, which was discovered at the Beuern Monastery in Bavaria, Germany. There are 25 movements in the piece, which was written for a soprano, a tenor, a countertenor, a children's choir, a bass-baritone and a chorus.

"The work embraces a full range of human emotions from gentle murmuring to hysterical outcry. It tackles subjects like belief and death. It connects us with the most basic level of human themes," he tells China Daily.

It isn't the first time that musicians of the Choral Arts Society of Washington and Qingdao Symphony Orchestra have performed together.

In 2009, under the baton of conductor Hu Yongyan, they performed works of Chinese composers, as well as American favorites, including the music of West Side Story, at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to celebrate Chinese New Year.

"We were deeply impressed by our last collaboration and we made a promise to work together again," says Debra L Kraft, executive director of Choral Arts Society of Washington.

"But because we have more than 100 members and need fund-raising, it took (us) six years to finally work with Qingdao Symphony Orchestra again."

She says a tour is more exciting than an individual concert.

Wang Lin, director of Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, says: "When we first performed in the US in 2009, American audiences barely knew us and never heard of a city named Qingdao. What really impressed them then was Tsingtao Beer.

"But after the performance, they knew a young symphony orchestra from Qingdao, China."