WELLINGTON, Sept 20 (NNN-XINHUA) – An “East Meets West” orchestral concert was held at the Opera House in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, last night, attracting over 1,000 people.
The concert was offered by Chinese and New Zealand artistes together, and conducted by leading New Zealand conductor, Brent Stewart.
Several traditional Chinese musical works were presented, including The Torch Festival and Chinese Sights and Sounds. The musicians also presented The Drysdale Overture, created by a New Zealand composer, and the traditional Maori song, Pokarekare Ana.
A Chinese tenor and a New Zealand soprano sang together a well-known Chinese song, The Song of Yangtze River, which culminated in the piano concerto, Yellow River.
Wang Xiaolong, Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, said in a welcome message for the performance that, the concert, with a high-quality lineup and famous works, played the music of friendship between China and New Zealand, and has promoted cultural exchanges between the two countries, which has thrived in recent years.
Wellington’s Mayor, Andy Foster, said that, Wellington has played an important role in achieving fruitful results of exchanges between New Zealand and China. “Wellington city has 10 sister or friendly city relationships, three of them in China.”
The concert enhanced friendship between the people of China and New Zealand, and built a bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges between the two countries, said the mayor.
The concert is one of a series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of China-New Zealand diplomatic ties.
The concert is part of “Image China,” a cultural exchange initiative presented by China Arts and Entertainment Group, which aims to introduce traditional and contemporary Chinese performing arts to audiences worldwide.– NNN-XINHUA
