Orchestra releases season highlights

During the new season, Lyu will lead the orchestra to play Bruckner's third, 7th and 8th symphonies, which is the third year of the orchestra's The Bruckner Ciphers, a program in which the orchestra aims to play all the symphonic works by the composer.

"Bruckner displayed an intense devotion to a spiritual life, which is also reflected in his music. It's a bold attempt to play all those works in one season, but it's a great way to train and help a symphony orchestra make progress," says Lyu, who was previously the musical director of the Verona Opera in Italy and also the first ever Chinese conductor to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and to record the complete orchestral works of German composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Every season, the orchestra premieres new musical works by Chinese composers. This year, the works of five Chinese composers will have their world premiere at the NCPA, including the symphonic tale The Story of Hua'er by Zhao Jiping and Concerto for Silk and Bamboo by Liang Lei.

Chamber music will be a major part of the new season with diverse arrangements and a wide repertoire. According to Tang Ning, head of artistic planning and communication of the China NCPA Orchestra, nine chamber concerts will be held at Lang Yuan Vintage, a commercial area in Beijing popular among young people. With musicians of classical music, traditional Chinese music and jazz, the chamber music recitals will be held on the weekends at the end of October, allowing more audiences to enjoy the music.