Chinese pianist Wang Yujia also performs with the New York Philharmonic in Beijing.[Photo by Wang Xiaojing/For China Daily]

"We are creating a conversation, which mixes my tradition and their tradition. It's about giving and taking. They bring something which they want, and what they have been playing for a very long time, and I will leave it alone and I just enjoy it," he says.

"The rehearsals are even more interesting than the concerts. We are learning and enjoying each other very much."

Giving an example of the "mixing" when interpreting Mahler's iconic piece, Symphony No. 5, he says:"Imagine you are looking at a painting on the wall.

"If Mahler is the painter, he would grab you by the throat and pull you into the painting.

"So, you would become part of the painting.

"His (Mahler's) music is full of roller-coaster emotions. So, I let the orchestra be free to interpret the music but at the same time I control the emotion. It's a very thin line."

The New York Philharmonic first performed at the NCPA in 2008. During the past 10 years, the orchestra has performed in Shanghai almost every year.

As a conductor, Van Zweden has been a frequent visitor to Beijing. His most recent performance in Beijing was when he took the baton and led the Hong Kong Philharmonic to perform Die Walkure, one section of The Ring Cycle, also known as Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner, based on the origin al version performed in 1967 at the first Salzburg Easter Festival by conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-89).

Speaking about his recent shows in the Chinese capital, he says: "I feel at home in Beijing. The (recent) shows were a wonderful experience with the warm and knowledgeable audiences."

Van Zweden, who was born in Amsterdam, received his first violin lessons at age 5.

He moved to New York to study at the Juilliard School at 15, and at 19, he was the youngest to be appointed as concert master of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

His talent as a conductor was discovered by American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, who was guest-conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Berlin.

In 1997, Van Zweden became a full-time conductor.

Over the last decade, Van Zweden has become a conductor on three continents.

In 2012, he was appointed music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and he now heads one of the largest and busiest music organizations in Hong Kong, presenting more than 150 concerts every year.

Under Van Zweden, the Hong Kong Philharmonic has a variety of initiatives, including a four-year project to perform and record Wagner's complete Ring of the Nibelung.

The performances recorded live for the classical music label, Naxos, have won positive reviews internationally.

This year also marks a major milestone for Van Zweden as he completes his 10-year tenure as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.