Celebrated Orchestra's First-Ever Tour Of China#
Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Next month, renowned conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) will kick off their first tour of China, performing in Beijing (August 4-5) and Shanghai (August 7-8). Supported by the London-based KT Wong Foundation, which sponsors events aimed at connecting China and the wider world through cross-cultural collaboration in the arts and education, Barenboim's first China tour will expose the country's new class of performing arts lovers to his orchestra's unique combination of Western and Near Eastern sounds.
Created in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and the late literary scholar Edward Said, over the last 12 years the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has brought together young musicians from Israel, Palestine and a number of Arab states to foster more intercultural dialogue and collaboration on the universal language of music. Touring regularly throughout the Middle East, Europe and North America, the WEDO's upcoming China tour looks to bring Chinese audiences closer to global trends in performing arts. With an ever-growing number of Chinese developing an interest in theatre, classical music opera and dance, the tour should find receptive audiences in both Beijing and Shanghai.
Beijing dates will take place at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, where the orchestra will perform Beethoven's "Eroica" and Symphony No. 4 in B flat major op. 60, and the orchestra will then move on to Shanghai's brand new Underground Cultural Plaza Theatre -- the world's largest underground performing arts center -- performing Beethoven's "Pastoral" and Symphony No. 7 in A major op.92 (August 7) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major op. 21, Symphony No. 8 F major op. 93, and Symphony No. 5 C minor op. 76 (August 8).
Forbidden City Concert Hall#
(中山公园音乐堂)
Inside Zhongshan Park, Xichang'an Jie, Xicheng District, Beijing
西城区西长安街中山公园内
Shanghai Underground Cultural Plaza Theatre#
(上海文化广场文化剧场)
36 Yongjia Lu, Luwan District, Shanghai
上海市卢湾区永嘉路36号