Zhang Qian

zhqcindy@163.com

The first Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival, lasting for 23 days, will close Sunday night with a last round of classical music at the Poly Theater in Nanshan District.

At the closing ceremony, Chinese conductor Hu Yongyan will once again perform on stage with China National Symphony Orchestra which will present “Scheherazade” composed by Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov and the symphony “Great Wall” composed by Ye Xiaogang, a famous Chinese composer and the current president of Chinese Musicians’ Association.

“Scheherazade” is regarded as the earliest symphony that touches the theme of Belt and Road as it depicts a magical adventure in Central Asia and the Arabic world. The symphony’s violin solo has been used as the touchstone for concertmasters.

Another highlight of the closing concert is the symphony “Great Wall,” composed by Ye 16 years ago in Shenzhen. The symphony will also be performed with Shi Yijie, a Chinese tenor famed on many global stages and a Chinese Wagner soprano Wang Wei.

Ye said earlier that he wishes the symphony “Great Wall” could express his wish that China’s Great Wall can not only be regarded as a defensive barrier, but also a bridge that links different cultures.

Ye has mixed many traditional elements of Chinese folk music into the symphony which requires players of traditional Chinese instruments to perform the grand mixture of cultures all around China.