CRI听力:China Philharmonic Orchestra Holds Concerts along Ancient Silk Road

China Philharmonic Orchestra held a concert in Vahdat Hall, Teheran, on Thursday as part of the fourth leg of its 2015 Silk Road Concert Tour, following performances in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The concert is part of its six-country Silk Road tour and attracted more than 600 people, including China Ambassador to Iran Pang Sen and diplomatic missions in Iran.

The concert was opened with Alexander Porphyrievitch Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from "Prince Igor" and followed by violin concerto "the Butterfly Lovers", otherwise known as "Liangzhu". Music and applause echoed in the hall.

"It's wonderful! We can see the themes, motivations and phrases integrating with the Western music. It's a fantastic performance. I love it!"

During the second half of the concert, Iranian conductor Ali Rahbari took to the podium and co-presented other beautiful melodies.

Rahbari said he enjoyed working with the Chinese team and that cultural exchanges with China are beneficial.

"China Philharmonic Orchestra is a very professional team. I really enjoy working with all its members. The purpose of the concert is to boost culture exchanges between our two countries. China wants to establish a cultural relationship with us, not only in the economic field; this is a pretty good idea."

At the same time, President of China Philharmonic Orchestra Li Nan praised the accomplishments of Iranian musicians, especially Ali Rahbari.

Li Nan also expressed his wishes for future cooperation, and said the tour would open a gate to conduct cultural communications.

China Ambassador to Tehran Pang Sen underlined the importance of the visit and noted the concert is a major part of cultural interaction of the two countries.

"Cooperation between China and Iran not only includes the economy, but also politics and culture. Cultural exchange is a good opportunity to promote mutual understanding of two nations. Music has no border; it is a language that anyone can understand."

Pang says the concert tour is a new start for China and Iran and expected more exchanges in various fields in the near future.

After performances in Tehran, the China Philharmonic Orchestra is also scheduled to give concerts in Turkey and Greece, its last two stops of the 18-day tour along the ancient Silk Road.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.