Cellist Zhu Yibing (L) practices with the Chu Yi-Bing Cello Ensemble at a press conference at the NCPA in Beijing on Thursday.

Lü Siqing Photos: Courtesy of NCPA

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is planning to bring an entire month of fantastic chamber music to Beijing audiences with their 7th May Music Festival.

"For many Chinese audiences, their image of Western classical music usually involves the word 'big' - big musical productions involving big orchestras and big stage sets. But our chamber music festival wants to bring audiences back to something smaller. Something audiences will need to be quiet or even hold their breath to hear. In this manner, they will discover that music can flow into their hearts," said cellist Zhu Yibing at a press conference in Beijing Thursday.

As a frequent performer at the NCPA, 46-year-old violist Lü Siqing has been invited to act as the art director for this year's May Music Festival for the first time. According to his explanation at the press conference, the repertoires that will be played at the festival will feature a wide arrangement - from classical works by Bach and Haydn to the Romantic period's Smetana and Dvorak. Celebrating Finnish musician Sibelius' 150th birthday, a themed concert performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from Finland will also be held on May 9.

 "As musicians, we need to be both focused and broad, by which I mean we need to focus on our professional field while we also try to affect audiences through a broader path. I started my own career with solo performances, then I established my trio group and now I'm taking on the duties of art director. I want to take on more events and duties so I can further impact audiences," Lü said when talking about his experience as the festival's art director.

There's always room for cello

Cellists will play the main roles during the festival this year. Not only will trios including cellos and cello concertos be presented, ensemble teams such as the Chu Yi-Bing Cello Ensemble and 5+1 Cellists of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will perform at the NCPA next month.

Inviting so many cellists to the musical festival means higher travel costs than violists or pianists as performers need an extra flight ticket for their cellos. The long list of well-received cellists for this year include Mischa Maisky, Amanda Forsyth, Zhu Yibing and Qin Liwei. Wang Jian has also accepted a special invitation to act as the resident musician for the festival.

Lü emphasized his love for this instrument. "People aren't as familiar with cellos as they are with pianos or violins. But it is one of my favorite instruments. They can play a very wide tonal range and are very close to the human voice. They can be very attractive and moving."

'Brought back to life'

Two Stradivarius violins will be played during the musical festival, a rare opportunity for Chinese audiences to hear the sound of famous classical violins made more than 200 years ago by legendary Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737).

Since the famous 1727 "General Dupont, Grumiaux" Stradivarius was bought by a Chinese collector in December for the hefty price of 70 million yuan ($11.2 million), it has attracted quite a bit of attention each time it has appeared at a concert. This time, Lü will have the honor of using the violin to perform several of Bach's concertos with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra on May 20.

Another Stradivari violin, the 1721 "MacMillan," will be played by Chengdu-born violinist Ning Feng with the Korean Chamber Orchestra, presenting romantic music suites including Waxman's Carmen Fantasie (based on Bizet's opera Carmen).

Lü told the Global Times that he felt no pressure playing the same famous violin that was once played by Authur Grumiaux. "The violin has to take on the pressure," he joked.

"For a famous violin, the most interesting thing is how it can be brought back to life by playing beautiful notes. This is the first time a Chinese mainland collector has bought an antique violin and is a very exciting thing in violin collection circles."

Out of the concert hall

During the May Music Festival, 20 charity performances will be held at schools, communities, museums, metro stations and villages far from the city.

Duan Wenli from Beijing's Peking Union Medical College Hospital talked about her experience attending one of these charity performances at her hospital.

"When the music started in the hospital's main hall, many people stopped still to enjoy the beauty of the music. We are usually very busy at work since we need to pay attention to all the different pains and demands our patients have, but music can help bring comfort to both us and our patients."

"Music is something we need to listen to and feel. For many people, coming to the NCPA might be difficult, but we as musicians should go out and invite more people into the world of music," Lü said.

As the first Asian violinist to win the first prize at the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition in Italy in 1987, Lü represents the first generation of Chinese musicians active on the international stage.

"Many children originally begin learning music due to parental expectations. Gradually, they find that music can accompany them their entire lives and some choose music as their profession."