Conductor sets the tone for European success

Maestro Xu Zhong, president of the Shanghai Opera House, became one of the first Chinese conductors to perform in Europe in the wake of the pandemic when he wielded the baton for the Orchestre de Paris at the La Philharmonie de Paris in France on March 29 and 30.

"This is a long-awaited reunion for us as well as music lovers in France and Europe," says Anne-Sophie Brandalise, director of the Orchestre de Paris.

The concert program consisted of Dvorak's Symphony No 9, Mozart's Concerto No 10 for two pianos, which featured Chinese pianist Wan Jieni and French pianist Nathalia Milstein, and The Five Elements by Chinese composer Chen Qigang. This was the second time Xu conducted the French orchestra. In 2019, Xu's conducting of compositions by Ravel and Rachmaninoff at the La Philharmonie de Paris earned a 10-minute ovation from the audience.