CRI听力:The West Australian Symphony Orchestra Stages A Concert in Beijing

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra's performance in Beijing is on top of the calendar of the ongoing Beijing Music Festival.

A renowned conductor in both the operatic and symphonic worlds, Asher Fisch took up the position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

He briefs on the highlights of their performance on Monday evening at the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

"Two clear highlights. One is our solo Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who is one of the best pianists in the world. He's playing French repertoire, which is really his best repertoire what he's known for. And then we'll do Mahler 5th, which I think is always a very big point to draw attention. So I think that we have a concert with two main courses."

Founded in 1928, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra is privileged to be based at the Perth Concert Hall, one of Australia's finest venues, revered for its exceptional acoustic.

Each year, the Orchestra inspires the people of Western Australia through its concert performances, regional tours, innovative education and community programs.

In 2006, the orchestra has toured to China for the first time for a series of shows around the country.

Compared to their previous performances, Craig Whitehead, the Chief Executive Officer of the Orchestra said they've planned more people-to-people exchanges for this year's visit.

"We are also delighted to be able to share our music with students in Beijing. And we are performing at two schools here in Beijing. This is a very important part of what Western Australian Symphony Orchestra does. We are delighted we are able to bring that part of soul to share with people of Beijing."

The Orchestra's Principal Conductor Asher Fisch was born in Israel and is widely acclaimed for his command of the Romantic German repertoire. He is a frequent guest at the world's great opera houses including La Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

He said he knows China is a country that loves music and he feels excited the orchestra has been invited to be part of the 2016 festival, one of the highlights of the Chinese cultural calendar.

This is Asher Fisch's first China tour, but he hoped he could travel to China again on the hope that the orchestra could establish a more long-lasting bond with Chinese audiences and cultural organizations.

"I think that's really important for us to try to develop a strong cultural relationship. And I think it's more normal for Australian orchestras to travel in China than for American or European orchestras. They come also, but we have something in common, and I think that we can hopefully establish a relationship which is more long-lasting than just a visit once every ten years, but really something on an ongoing basis, because like this, we can develop the cultural quality and relationship in the Pacific Rim."

The concert, named "Mo?t Hennessy Night", will also commemorate 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare by playing Overture from A Midsummer Night's Dream to start the music event.

Last but not the least, the 19th Beijing Music Festival plans to demonstrate the development of classical music in the 21st century and will run three weeks from October 9 to 29.

For CRI, I'm Wang Lei.