Classical Music in The Egg

I should have mentioned this earlier in the month, but I got caught up in the crummy news about KHFM in Albuquerque (see post from Aug. 14th).

Check out this amazing classical music venue in Beijing called The Egg:

From the website www.chinamusicradar.com, there’s a little blurb about Live Music at the Beijing Olympics

If it’s classical music you’re after, look no further then The Egg (affectionately known as the National Centre for the Performing Arts). They have eleven confirmed events including notable foreign acts such as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Royal Danish Ballet. Held in one of the capital’s newly-constructed architectural gems, these large-scale events are a strong component of China’s coming-out party, and have little chance of being shuttered by authorities. On the opera tip, “The Divas” will be taking over the Great Hall of the People on a few odd nights (mostly Sundays and Thursdays) during the Olympics. Their roster includes Cecilia Bartoli, Renee Fleming, and Angela Gheorghiu. The up-and-coming divo-counterparts appearing are Marcello Giordani, Salvatore Licitra, and Ramon Vargas.

And notice that all these artists at The Egg are from western countries. China sends many, many artists to this country to study music and to play professionally. Asia is one of the largest consumer markets for western classical music nowadays, and the cultural exchange of players between Asia and the west is really stunning. I just came back from La Jolla Music Society SummerFest (the radio broadcasts will begin in January), and I was struck by how many Asian players were there this year. The same is true in American orchestras. And I think all of us on both continents are better for it.

Any time we think classical music is on the decline, we just have to look at the people in the world who are discovering it for the first time, whether youngsters or people from cultures that have different traditions. Marvelous!