The sound of another time

Organ restoration delights a new generation of listeners with a unique experience, Chen Nan reports.

Tucked away among skyscrapers, shopping centers and five-star hotels along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, the auditorium of Peking Union Medical College — one of China's longest established medical schools — stands quietly and distinctively on the bustling street.

On the night of April 7, World Health Day, a special concert, titled Resound, was held there to celebrate the restoration of a massive theater organ, which was first installed in the auditorium when the building was constructed in 1921.

Organist Shen Yuan opened the concert by playing Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, which is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire.