It's a chorus chapter in Guiseppe Verdi's opera "Nabucco" which first won him worldwide fame, and also a classical melody the Chinese audience are familiar with.

More than 300 artists from the National Opera Warsaw Wednesday performed, for the first time in Beijing, Verdi's "Nabbuco" as a centennial commemoration of Verdi's Death, and also an important sector of the Beijing Music Festival, which started on October 15.

"Nabbuco" was written by Verdi in 1842 based on a Bible story, which tells King Nabbuco's deeds.

According to the organizer, the Beijing Capital Entertainment and Management Co. Ltd., the National Opera Warsaw was founded in 1833 and is ranked among the world's largest theater groups.

"Nabbuco", conducted by well-known artist Jacek Kaspszyk, has a strong team of performers and unique settings including five real horses to create a war atmosphere.

The music gala, to end on November 8, will host 1,500 artists from China and another 14 countries, and stage operas, symphony orchestras, chamber music, Chinese folk music, hi-fi concerts and a Children's concert.

This annual music event, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing municipal government, has been held three times since 1998, attracting a total of 7,000 artists from home and abroad staging nearly 100 performances.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2001)