What's more heartwarming than celebrating a brand-new start with loved ones surrounded by music? For two consecutive nights next week, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (SZSO) will host two concerts, each featuring a diverse repertoire and showcasing A-listers in the classical music world, to ring in a new year.

SZSO members pose for a group photo. Photos courtesy of SZSO

Cheerful classics

On the evening of Dec. 30, under the baton of Qian Junping, the SZSO will present well-loved pieces from the classical repertoire, with collaborations from cellist Qin Liwei, flutist Min Ruofan, and violinist Wu Qian. The SZSO Children’s Choir will enchant the audience with their crystal-clear voices, adding to the evening’s charm.

Qin, a faculty member at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore and a highly sought-after cellist, will treat the audience to David Popper’s “The Hungarian Rhapsody,” a dazzling nine-minute showpiece infused with elements of Hungarian folk music. This rhapsodic piece channels the Cza?rda?s, a traditional Hungarian dance known for its fluctuating tempo. The audience will be reminded of Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsodies” and Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances,” as all three share similar folk themes woven into some sections. Qin will also perform a piece adapted from iconic movie scores such as those from “1900” and “Cinema Paradiso.”

Qian Junping

Min, the principal flutist of SZSO, will perform “Carmen Fantasy,” an adaptation by Fran?ois Borne from excerpts of Bizet’s opera “Carmen.” Wu, the deputy concertmaster of SZSO, will perform Pablo de Sarasate’s “Gypsy Airs,” a virtuosic piece revered as one of the favorite repertoire works of violinists worldwide. Virtuosos like Itzhak Perlman, Nigel Kennedy, Joshua Bell, and Anne-Sophie Mutter have all recorded this piece.

The SZSO Children’s Choir will charm the audience with the beloved tune “Jasmine Flower.” The program will also feature New Year concert staples including excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” the overture to Otto Nicolai’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” and a piece from Dmitri Shostakovich’s score for the film “The Gadfly.”

Time: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 30

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

East meets West

On New Year’s Eve, conducted by SZSO music director Lin Daye, the orchestra will present contemporary Chinese compositions alongside Western classics. Soloists Qin Liwei, pipa (short-necked Chinese lute) player Zhao Cong, zheng (Chinese plucked board zither) player Cheng Haoru, and several renowned vocalists will grace the stage.

Lin Daye

The concert will kick off with the world premiere of “Yingge Dance,” an overture composed by Li Hao and Cai Yichen, inspired by the folk dance from the Chaoshan area in Guangdong Province. Cellist Qin will mesmerize the audience with the two pieces featured in the previous evening’s program, while Zhao will showcase a pipa concerto she composed as a tribute to her hometown, Jilin in Northeast China.

Following the intermission, Cheng will headline a zheng concerto composed by contemporary Chinese musician Wang Danhong, followed by captivating vocal performances by South Korean soprano Narea Son, mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, tenors Arturo Chacón-Cruz and Ma Teng, and baritone Andrii Kymach, the first-prize winner of the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019 competition.

Ginger Costa-Jackson

The chorus of the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater and the SZSO Children’s Choir will join in the performance. The vocalists will sing arias and famous pieces from Bizet’s “Carmen” and Puccini’s “Turandot.”

Time: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31

Tickets: 180-1,280 yuan

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station, Exit D