Orchestra unveils ambitious new season

In the early 1990s, when Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky first came to China to conduct Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No 7 in C Major, Op 60, also known as the "Leningrad" Symphony, musicians of the Central Philharmonic Society, now the China National Symphony Orchestra, spent two weeks — and perhaps longer — preparing for the monumental work.

Three decades later, the same symphony offers a striking measure of how far Chinese orchestras have come.

"When the China Philharmonic Orchestra performs a work like this today, it may take just four rehearsals to put it together," says Yu Long, the orchestra's artistic director and principal conductor. "That shows how much our orchestral musicianship has progressed over the past few decades."

Yu will conduct the symphony on June 11, 2027, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, as part of the orchestra's 2026-27 season.

The performance will be among the season's major engagements with the music of Shostakovich, whose 120th birth anniversary the orchestra will commemorate in its new season.

His 7th, 8th, 10th and 13th symphonies will feature across the season, offering different perspectives on a composer whose music was shaped by the upheavals of the 20th century.

For Yu, however, the season is not simply an exercise in revisiting the canon.

"Beyond the classics, we hope to embark on further exploration and pursue musical dialogue between people," he says.

Running from Sept 19, 2026, to June 26, 2027, the new season comprises 19 programs, bringing together Chinese and international conductors, soloists and emerging musicians. It will move from Baroque opera to contemporary music, with the orchestra seeking to broaden its repertoire while revisiting works connected to its own history.

On Oct 18, the China Philharmonic Orchestra will present Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto at the 29th Beijing Music Festival, marking the Chinese premiere of the Baroque opera. In a semi-staged production, the opera follows the turbulent relationship between Roman general Julius Caesar and Egyptian queen Cleopatra, weaving together power, revenge, love and political intrigue.

With elaborate scenery stripped away, the production will place the focus on Handel's virtuosic arias and the emotional force of the singers and orchestra, allowing the music and drama to take center stage.