The Macao Chinese Orchestra tours in Portugal promoting Macao’s culture and contributing to Sino-Portuguese friendship
The Macao Chinese Orchestra is committed to lighting up residents’ lives by promoting Chinese traditional music in the local community and introducing Chinese traditional music to the global audience. On occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal and the 20th anniversary of Macao’s Handover to China, the Macao Chinese Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, embarks a tour in Portugal to perform in cities, namely Lisbon, Estoril and Sintra, from 22 September to 3 October. Following its tour in 2014, this year the Macao Chinese Orchestra, taking the role of musical and cultural ambassador of Macao, will participate in the Chinese Cultural Festival in Portugal, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, as well as the closing concert of the 54th Sintra International Music Festival. It is of special significance for the Orchestra to present Chinese music in Portugal, promoting Macao’s culture and musical traits on occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The concert tour features: performances at the Orient Museum of Lisbon on 24 September, followed by Estoril on 25 September and the Reception of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 27 September, as well as the closing concert of the 54th Sintra International Music Festival at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval in Sintra on 1 October. The Orchestra specially selected compositions of traditional Chinese music and combination of Macao and Portuguese works, seeking to deliver a Chinese musical feast with western highlights to the Portuguese audience.
Under the baton of the Music Director and Principal Conductor, Liu Sha, the Orchestra presents a number of works depicting the charm of Macao, Mainland China and Portugal in the four concerts. In the performance of the composition themed around Macao’s culture, Taipa composed by Rão Kyao evokes the poetic landscape of “a white veil of herons; a picture of men gliding on the waters”, guiding the audience to experience the beauty of Macao’s leisure. Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn by Lü Wengcheng was composed when he was traveling in Hangzhou in the Mid-Autumn Festival, expressing his sentiments towards the graceful beauty of the West Lake and his yearning for the motherland. The opening composition of the concert Lisboa menina e moça (“Lisbon, Young Girl and Damsel”) is presented as a greeting to the Portuguese audience. It reveals the characteristics of Chinese and Western fusions and presents the charm of Chinese traditional music in a new way.
In the 54th Sintra International Music Festival, the Orchestra features a number of mesmerising works, including the banhu solo The Crescent Moon before Dawn, suona solo Fantasy for Macao No.2, erhu solo Strings of Lingnan and the closing composition Macau Capriccio composed by Wang Danhong, with the hope of building a deeper friendship with the Portuguese audience through the melodious Chinese music.