Concert tour wraps up in Luxembourg

Melody of the Orient, a chamber music concert, opened at the China Cultural Center in Luxembourg on Nov 26.

The concert featured Belgium pop artist Jean-François Maljean's piano concerto, Melody of the Orient, which he composed for the event, and chamber ensemble the BELART Female String Quartet.

A series of Chinese music, including Jasmine Flower and My Country were performed at the concert.

It marks the last stop of its Europe tour, with about 100 Chinese and local representatives and officials in attendance, including Chinese Ambassador Hua Ning, the center Director Zhang Jing and Deputy Speaker of the Luxembourg Parliament Mars Di Bartolomeo.

Hua said the concert is the first activity of the center since its establishment in the country. He welcomed more European musicians to visit China.

The event is one of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Luxembourg.

According to Maljean, Melody of the Orient was composed at the 20th anniversary of his first concert in China, nodding to the great development and achievement in China. He also shared his stories with China and wished for more mutual cultural exchanges.

Jean-François Maljean is a Belgian pop artist and pianist known across Europe. He has composed and recorded some twenty piano albums during his decades-long career and has released more than 50 editions worldwide. His music has travelled throughout Asia and the rest of the world on numerous tours. He has been developing various collaborations with other renowned artists such as Pierre Rapsat, Jacques Stotzem, Shang Wenjie and the Chinese Dong singers.

In February 2020, he released a song Chime of the Dawn Bells to support the fight against coronavirus in Wuhan. The song, sung by his daughter Noémie, has been viewed over 100 million times in China and become the first widely circulated charity record written by a foreign artist since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The BELART Female String Quartet, formed in 2016 in Brussels, is a chamber ensemble under the China Belgium Art & Culture Society (Chinabelart). It is composed of both Chinese and Western artists active in Belgium.