China’s National Symphony Orchestra to tour Melbourne

The China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) will return to Australia this year following a six-year absence and will play at Southbank’s Hamer Hall on December 2.

The more than 80 musicians who make up this world-class orchestra under the baton of CNSO’s conductor Maestro Li Xincao will perform one concert only at Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne on November 28, December 1 and 2, respectively.

The prestigious conductor Xincao has led the CNSO for historic visits around the world, winning high praise from authoritative music critics everywhere, proving his adaptability to different programs and his correct understanding of different styles of works.

The concert also features violinist Lu Siqing, the first Asian prize-winner of the Paganini Competition, one of the world’s most important violin competitions which is held every two years at Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa, Italy.

Well-recognised as one of the most outstanding Chinese violinists, Siqing performs regularly with major national and international orchestras, and has performed in prestigious concert halls in more than forty countries and territories, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and the Sydney Opera House, among others.

The CNSO, founded in 1956, is the most outstanding Chinese orchestra and has been instrumental in promoting and developing the art of symphonic music in China, introducing Chinese audiences to a large repertoire of classical, romantic, modern, and contemporary orchestral works by both Western and Asian composers.

Serving as a cultural ambassador, CNSO has engaged in intercultural dialogues and promoted friendship between China and the world through music during many international tours.

In recent decades, the CNSO has undertaken international tours to the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Spain, Mexico, Japan, and many other cities. For the Orchestra’s Australian tour 2023, it will perform a selection of masterpieces including Overture Dance of The Yao People, The Butterfly Lovers composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang and Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92.

This is a unique opportunity for Australian audiences to experience exquisite music and witness the supreme skill and artistry of the orchestra.

The CNSO will perform at Hamer Hall on December 2 at 2pm.  •

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