The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Performs in Beijing

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra last night performed to standing ovations at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts on the first stop of its week-long tour of China and Korea, held October 24-31.

SSO Chief Conductor and Artistic Director David Robertson said the Orchestra had given a "truly inspiring" performance of Smetana's Vltava (The Moldau), Brahms' Second Symphony and Bartok's Piano Concerto No.3 with American pianist Peter Serkin. The SSO rounded out the concert with an encore of Brahms' Hungarian Dances No.5, which saw the audience clapping along.

"I am especially grateful this evening for such a wonderful group of audience members who were either listening or showing us how much they love the sound we make at the SSO," Mr Robertson said. "It's really a gift to be able to play in this extraordinary acoustic. In the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing has an incredible instrument."

After the concert the Orchestra was welcomed at a reception hosted by the Australian Embassy Beijing, at which Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China HE Mrs Frances Adamson spoke of the SSO's relationship with China: "Over the past four years I've really been delighted to see the warmth and enthusiastic welcome the Chinese audiences have given the [SSO] and also to see the Orchestra's name recognition growing in strength here as a symbol of the Australian arts."

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Managing Director Rory Jeffes said the Orchestra could not have hoped for a more enthusiastic audience on its fourth tour to China: "Returning here to the NCPA and China feels like friends coming together," Mr Jeffes said.

The next stop on the tour is Seoul National University where 16 SSO musicians and Mr Robertson will hold a day-long rehearsal workshop with the SNU orchestra on Wednesday. The full orchestra will then perform in Daegu on Thursday and Seoul on Friday and Saturday.

A huge logistical endeavour, the tour sees 90 musicians travelling with $4.5m in instruments.

To post a comment, you must register and login.