Polish orchestra Arte Dei Suonatori Photo: Courtesy of the Forbidden City Concert Hall

The Forbidden City Concert Hall (FCCH)'s annual Early Music Season will raise its curtain with a concert by Polish orchestra Arte Dei Suonatori on Sunday night. At a press conference for the event held on Wednesday in Beijing, Xu Jian, general manager of the FCCH, explained that since 2010, it has been their tradition to bring several well-known early music troupes to their stage every spring.

"And this year is no exception with three European early music groups, two from Poland and one from France," Xu said.
Sunday night will first see Evening with Bach from Arte Dei Suonatori, who are on their first ever Asian tour. Also from Poland, the Octava Ensemble will present The Polish Baroque Program on April 19, which is set to be a treat for Beijing's early music lovers.

The night of April 26 will see a concert version of the 1753 French comedic opera Comique La Double Conquette. "All these performances have gained much popularity in Europe. I hope they won't let many Beijing followers down," Xu added.

In addition, the concert hall will also host three master classes a day prior to each of the three performances covering subjects from early music knowledge to music instruments.

Global Times