Celebratory concert leaves audience breathless

On Monday, conductor Christoph Poppen, pianist Luo Wei, and the China National Symphony Orchestra staged a concert at the Beijing Concert Hall to commemorate the 170th anniversary of Robert Schumann's death. The program was refreshing, full of romance and vitality.

Since the 2023/2024 season, Poppen has served as music director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

The concert began with Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave Overture, Op 26. Under Poppen's direction, the orchestra vividly depicted the grandeur of waves crashing against the shore and the echoing sounds within a cave.

After, pianist Luo took the stage. Having collaborated with the China National Symphony Orchestra numerous times, she is known for her powerful presence in works such as Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 3 and the Yellow River Piano Concerto. On Monday, while performing Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 16, she not only displayed brilliance in her technical passages but also revealed a delicate and graceful side. The piece's lyrical core is intertwined with passionate emotions, leaving the audience captivated.

In the second half of the program, Schumann's Symphony No 3 in E-flat Major Rhenish, Op 97 took center stage, highlighting Poppen's unique conducting expertise in chamber music.

He infused the orchestra with delicate nuances, achieving a harmonious balance of sound fused with the symphony's grand scale. The lines were clear, and the relationships between the sections were finely balanced, with careful attention to the intricate layers of melody. In the final movement, the celebratory atmosphere built steadily, reaching a brilliantly bright climax under Poppen's guidance.

The performance was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the audience, and the applause lasted long after the performance ended.