Debra Li

    debra_lidan@163.com

    ONE way to attract young listeners to concert halls and nurture a passion for classical music is perhaps by introducing idols of classical music to them. This is exactly what the Shenzhen Concert Hall is doing right now. Pretty faces and personal charisma on top of virtuosity that will impress the most discerning ears, some of the most sought-after musicians are coming to the Shenzhen Concert Hall this year.

    “Some 270 shows were staged at Shenzhen Concert Hall last year, of which more than 100 were organized by ourselves,” said Guo Xiaolan, general manager of the Shenzhen Concert Hall. “This year, besides the public benefit concerts and lectures on weekend afternoons, the concert hall has arranged more than 20 commercial shows for music fans.”

    Opening their new season is violinist Joshua Bell, a Grammy winner (“Nicholas Maw Concerto”), Oscar winner (best original score — “The Red Violin”) and Avery Fisher Prize winner. The American will perform “Chaconne in G Minor” by Italian composer and violinist Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Beethoven’s “Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major,” Ravel’s “Violin Sonata No. 2 in G Major” as well as Spanish folk dances and a surprise piece for Chinese guests. Receiving critical acclaim for his concerto recordings of Sibelius and Goldmark, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, Bell evolved from a “musician’s musician” to a household name after his incognito performance in a Washington, D.C. subway station in 2007. Bell had agreed to participate in a Washington Post story by Gene Weingarten that thoughtfully examined art and context. The story earned Weingarten a Pulitzer Prize and sparked an international firestorm of discussion.

    Another program for violin fans will be Julia Fischer’s concert in the latter half of this year. One of the most outstanding among a new generation of violinists, Fischer, 32, has worked with internationally acclaimed conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Christoph Eschenbach, Yakov Kreizberg, Yuri Temirkanov, Sir Neville Marriner and David Zinman. She won the International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition in 1995. Her first CD — Russian violin concertos with Yakov Kreizberg and the Russian National Orchestra — received rave reviews and climbed into the top five best-selling classical records in Germany within a few days in 2004.

    Twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton from the United States, who just released their second album “Visions” last month, will give a piano concert May 7.

    Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelich will come to the concert hall in December. Taking piano lessons at age 7, Pogorelich gave his debut recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1981. He debuted in London the same year. Since then, he has played many solo recitals worldwide and has played with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic. Embraced by a large number of concert audiences, Pogorelich, however, has often been controversial. Some critics find him “weirdly fascinating” while others have said he is an immense talent “gone astray.”

    Dubbed one of the greatest soloists of the 20th century, German clarinetist Sabine Meyer will stage a concert in November. In addition to her work as a soloist, Meyer is a committed player of chamber music and plays all styles of classical music.

    It’s not often that we get the chance to appreciate Western opera here in the city, but the Shenzhen Concert Hall is going to rectify that.

    Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini, will give a concert in collaboration with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 29. Since her professional debut in 1990, Gheorghiu has performed the lead role in several operas at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Milan’s La Scala, and many other opera houses in Europe and the United States. The EMI recording of Massenet’s “Manon” with Gheorghiu in the title role won the 2001 Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording. It was nominated for Best Opera Recording at the 2002 Grammy Awards. She has also won tons of awards in Europe.

    Apart from the heavyweights of classical music, the Shenzhen Concert Hall has also prepared delightful programs for special occasions. Following up their success with local kids last year, the Lightwire Theater will present “Moon Mouse: A Space Odyssey” — a fantastical neon adventure to the moon. Marvin, a bullied mouse who dreams of becoming popular, embarks on the adventure of a lifetime: a trip to the moon on his homemade rocket.

    Another program for children is a music tour by four French musicians who play music on various toy instruments — pianos, accordions and ukuleles.

    A jazz piano concert by Luo Ning and his band has been arranged for lovers on the night of Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day; Tang Junqiao, China’s leading bamboo flutist, will stage a concert with her team on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival. A Serbian troupe will stage the popular Spanish flamenco dance drama “Carmen” ahead of the National Day holiday.

    A series of three a cappella concerts will be presented following last year’s first a cappella festival by The Real Group from Sweden, Naturally 7 from the United States and Exit from South Korea.

    On the sideline of the concerts, the concert hall will organize a “Single Singers” training camp on Saturdays between May and July, a two-week music summer camp in July for children as well as free shows, lectures and fun events like flash mobs themed on a cappella. Local cappella team 38.6 Degrees will serve as tutors for the “Single Singers” camp, which is welcome to music lovers young and old, who want to sharpen their singing skills.

    For more information, check out the concert hall’s website: www.szyyt.com.

    Schedule