National Ballet dances for joy in season opener

Symphony No 9 in D Minor, Op 125, one of the most remarkable orchestral works by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, will be performed by the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China under the baton of Zhang Yi in the company's latest production, Ode to Joy.

Named after the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which includes a full chorus and vocal soloists singing an arrangement of Friedrich Schiller's poem, An die Freude, also known as Ode to Joy, the new ballet production premieres at Beijing's Tianqiao Theatre on Friday and will be staged until Sunday.

"This was Beethoven's final complete symphony and is one of the most popular pieces of classical music among Chinese audiences. I was trained classically as a child and I grew up listening to it," says Zhang, who is the musical director of the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China. He adds that the new production will feature not only musicians from the company's symphony orchestra, but also the chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra and vocalists, including coloratura soprano Guo Chengcheng and baritone Liu Songhu.