Das Große Chinesische Neujahrskonzert

The Great Chinese New Year Concert is one of the most successful original concert formats worldwide. Each year during the Chinese Spring Festival, a traditional Chinese orchestra brings a taste of the country’s rich music traditions to prestigious concert halls in the West.

The orchestra is hand-picked by an expert panel each year, selected from various regionally competing traditional orchestras. The winning orchestra then has the honour to represent its region and take its musical expertise to the West. Since the orchestra changes annually, the Western public has the opportunity to experience a different traditional genre each time: from the sounds of Inner Mongolia’s horsehead fiddle to the sweet melodies of the Cantonese Gaohu, listeners are taken on a rich musical journey through China.

The programme is led by a host, who will introduce solo instruments like the Erhu and Pipa, explain the backgrounds of orchestral pieces, as well as the meaning of texts and vocal numbers. This is done in order to facilitate a greater understanding and appreciation of Chinese music under Western audiences.

The Great Chinese New Year Concert was designed to enrich the cultural exchange between East and West and bring traditional Chinese music - which has a long history of over 3,000 years – to the stages of the world.