Summer Classics at the NCPA
Li-Wei Qin × Yuan Ding & NCPA Orchestra
National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing · July 15–16, 2022 · 19:30
Overview
In mid-summer 2022, acclaimed cellist Li-Wei Qin joined conductor Yuan Ding and the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra for two evenings of musical brilliance at Beijing’s NCPA Concert Hall.
The program brought together reimagined Baroque freshness, Romantic virtuosity, and symphonic mastery — from Max Richter’s Recomposed: The Four Seasons to Tchaikovsky’s and Brahms’s timeless variations.This concert also featured violinist Dou Congchang as soloist in Spring from Richter’s Recomposed Four Seasons, setting the stage for Qin’s exquisite interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33, before culminating in Brahms’s grand Variations on a Theme by Haydn.
Program
Max Richter — Spring (from The Four Seasons Recomposed)
Violin: Dou Congchang
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33
Cello: Li-Wei Qin
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Jeu de cartes (Game of Cards)
Johannes Brahms — Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op.56a
Artists
Li-Wei Qin — Cello
Praised by The New York Times for his “ravishingly beautiful tone, flawless intonation, and ironclad technique,” Li-Wei Qin is one of the world’s foremost cellists. A laureate of the Tchaikovsky and Naumburg competitions, he has appeared as soloist with the London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Singapore Symphony, and records exclusively for Decca and Sony Classical.
Yuan Ding — Conductor
One of the leading conductors of China’s younger generation, Yuan Ding is the Principal Resident Conductor of the China National Opera House. A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, he has conducted major orchestras across China and Europe, including the Leipzig MDR Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Opera Orchestra, South Westphalia Philharmonic, China NCPA Orchestra, Beijing Symphony, and Shanghai Philharmonic.
Known for his “extraordinary precision and refined musical insight” (Leipziger Volkszeitung), Yuan is equally accomplished in symphonic and operatic repertoire, having conducted over forty productions across European and Chinese stages.
Dou Congchang — Violin
A rising violinist of remarkable sensitivity and style, Dou Congchang performed the solo part in Max Richter’s Recomposed: The Four Seasons, bringing contemporary luminosity to this reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s iconic work.
NCPA Orchestra — National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing
Founded in 2010, the NCPA Orchestra has quickly become one of China’s premier symphonic ensembles, performing over one hundred concerts each season under the leadership of Lü Jia. Renowned for its versatility and artistic precision, the orchestra collaborates with leading artists worldwide and has released acclaimed recordings on Sony Classical, including The Ring Without Words conducted by Lorin Maazel, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under Lü Jia.