FCCO, pic. Promotional materials for The Days of Chinese Culture in Poland.
The Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra from Beijing performs two concerts in Poland during The Days of Chinese Culture in Poland
The Days of Chinese Culture 2011 are founded on the "Protocol between the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China on cultural cooperation in the years 2007-2011". The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is organising the Days on behalf of the Ministry.
The event features concerts of Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra (FCCO) composed of eminent musicians of the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, a leading music university in the country.
The musicians perform on the 9th of September 2011 at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and on the 11th of September at the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Kraków.
Subsequently, Chinese folk art is exhibited at the National Museum of Ethnography between 14-30th September 2011. The opening ceremony takes place on the 14th of September at 18:00.
The members of the FCCO are of the most talented musicians from the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. FCCO have performed at numerous national music events and many international festivals of the "Oriental Express" exchange program, which is organised by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Thanks to this enterprise the orchestra had a chance to perform in Brisbane, Canberra, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Auckland. Their unique style and quality of performance presented by the FCCO at numerous concerts have received recognition not only in China but all over the world.
The FCCO is praised for their ability to catch and present unparalleled magnificence and elegance of traditional Chinese music, performed with grace and charm so rare in contemporary music. The musicians from FCCO allowed the Chinese to appreciate music which is usually considered very demanding, and also to promote it worldwide. FCCO is now considered one of the most influential chamber orchestras in the world.
The music director and the conductor of the orchestra is Liu Shun. Yand Jing, a virtuoso of the pipa (the Chinese lute) is the main director. Appearing with the orchestra, Xiao Ma is regarded as the best countertenor of the Middle Kingdom.
At the Warsaw and Krakow shows the Orchestra performs traditional Chaozhou and Shaanxi music, compositions by Wang Dahong, Zou Hang, Bejing opera and even a rearranged song by Fryderyk Chopin.
Source: press release