Lyrical Beauty of Northern Europe – Odense Symphony Orchestra China Tour |
The Odense Symphony Orchestra travelled from Denmark, the birthplace of countless fairy tales, and gave a phenomenal concert tour in cities across China. From the 13th to the 22nd May 2011, the Odense Symphony Orchestra travelled from Denmark, the birthplace of countless fairy tales, and gave a phenomenal concert tour in cities across China including Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Sihui. Their performance brimmed with Northern European flair greatly entertained the Chinese audience. The word "Odense" means "the pure place of the god" in Danish. The city, also known as the hometown of the beloved fairy tale writer Hans Christian Anderson, is the oldest town in Denmark. Led by the Russian Maestro Alexander Vedernikov, the Orchestra consists of seventy-three top level musicians from seventeen countries, forming one of the five grand traditional symphony orchestras in Denmark. Founded in 1946, the Orchestra has performed with some of the finest artists representing Denmark and worldwide, which includes Nikolaj Znaider, celebrated as one of the pioneering violinists of today, Vassily Primakov, recently named "a pianist's pianist", and the Danish opera singer, baritone Bo Skovhus. The conductor of the Orchestra's China tour 2011 was Christoph Eberle. With a musical delivery that is powerful and breathtaking whilst maintaining sensitivity, Odense Symphony Orchestra is considered one of the most outstanding ensembles. Christoph Eberle's stylistic conducting together with the ensemble's fascinating performance leaves the audience in melodic euphoria. The Orchestra's China tour repertoire included Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Edward Grieg, Symphony No. 9 by Dvořák and Violin Concerto by Carl Nielsen. In addition, during the concert at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the ensemble also performed The Woman with the Eggs and The Tinder Box, two programs arranged based on Hans Christian Andersen's stories. At Nankai University in Tianjin, the Orchestra performed at the three hundredth concert of the Weekend Music Forum of the university, which brought the students and teachers a climatic end to the night. After Beijing, Liu Yang, world-class Chinese violinist, joined the Orchestra in the following cities as concert soloist, and performed Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto with the ensemble. Conductor Christoph Eberle commented after the tour, "it has been an unforgettable experience working with Liu Yang, during which we all felt an immediate connection through our passionate love of music." |