One of China’s great orchestras makes its Carnegie Hall debut in a program that features a new work by Qigang Chen (music director of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing) commissioned for the occasion and a classic from its homeland, along with Sibelius’s heroic Symphony No. 2. Lang Lang is the soloist in the legendary Yellow River Concerto, a work beloved for its blend of Chinese themes, colorful Western orchestral writing, and devilishly challenging solo part. While the concerto conjures images of the Chinese river, Sibelius’s symphony is a magnificent paean to Finnish natural beauty and the indomitable spirit of the composer’s countrymen.

Performers
China NCPA Orchestra
Lü Jia, Chief Conductor
Lang Lang, Piano

Program
QIGANG CHEN Itinéraire d’une illusion (US Premiere, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall)
YIN CHENGZONG / CHU WANGHUA Yellow River Concerto
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2