The 25-day music gala, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing municipal government, will witness 30 performances, including operas, symphony orchestras, chamber music, Chinese folk music, Hi-Fi concert and children's concert.

According to the organizer, more than 300 artists from the National Opera Warsaw will stage, for the first time in China, the opera "Nabbuco", which was produced to mark the centennial birth of Guiseppe Verdi.

Noted cello player Julian Lloyd Webber will premiere, with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, "the concerto for cello and orchestra", which was produced by famous composer Philip Glass for Webber's 50th birthday.

Tan Dun, a Chinese musician noted for his concerto in the Oscar winner "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", will play his masterpieces, including the "Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra".

The festival will also invite a Latin group and Spanish guitar players, present children with fairy-tales concerts and hold Hi-Fi concerts.

This annual music event, aiming to show "international standard, Chinese Style and Beijing's characteristics", has been held three times since 1998, attracting a total of 7,000 artists from home and abroad to stage nearly 100 performances.

(People's Daily 10/06/2001)