Photo: VCG

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games may not have been on a par with that of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics in terms of grandeur and extravaganza, but it was surely as impressive and innovative, if not more so, when other factors are taken into consideration. 

The opening ceremony that took place on Friday confidently indicated to the world that China will keep its promise to "deliver a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Beijing 2022 Winter Games in a green, inclusive, open and clean manner."

And there is one more thing that viewers across the world - especially music lovers - are sure to keep in mind for years: the background music that was played during the parade of athletes.

Yes, I am one of those fans of classical music who were mildly surprised and greatly entertained by this musical choice. 

As one who was present at the opening ceremonies for Athens 2004, Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008, and one who has not missed the live broadcasts of any Olympic Games since Los Angeles in 1984, I have to say that Beijing 2022 set a record in this regard.

Just as Team Greece - always the first one to do so on such occasions -  entered the central arena of the Bird's Nest where the grand ceremony was being held, I was somewhat overjoyed to notice the familiar melody of  the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. 

Later it turned out that audiences and TV viewers would listen to 19 pieces of world famous music from Beethoven, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Vivaldi and other famous Western composers. This is more than music enthusiasts would have anticipated and surely more than what the New Year's Concert in Vienna could offer.

I can tell, from the perspective of a music lover, the selections of music were meticulously planned to match the grand occasion.

As February 4 marks the "Beginning of Spring," the first of the 24 Solar Terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, we heard Voice of Spring by Johann Strauss and La Primavera (Spring) by Antonio Vivaldi. 

The two pieces of music - passionate, cheerful and tinted with the warmth of spring - are exactly what people love to listen to when saying goodbye to a cold winter.

It was great that among Vivaldi's The Four Seasons concertos Spring was chosen instead of Winter. This is a very smart choice, even though viewers would probably have been as equally happy to listen to Winter.

However, there was one piece that matched perfectly with the occasion: Les Patineurs by French composer Emil Waldteufel. This music, better known by its title in English The Skaters' Waltz, would paint a mental picture of skaters sliding around on ice as dancing snowflakes fall from the sky.  

To the great amusement of music lovers, the Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms was played just as Team Hungary marched into the venue center.

I prefer to believe it was sheer coincidence, not pre-arrangement, as the Turkish March (this one by Beethoven) was played long after Team Turkey had entered, but this made the episode more fun.

Photo: Li Hao/GT

As to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was sitting in the VIP seats to watch the opening ceremony, he must have been very delighted to hear The Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake, both by famous Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

The fourth movement of Antonin Dvorak's From the New World was literally music to my ears. But this was not a surprise as I had anticipated it, standing in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast.

As the repertoire of classical music for the opening ceremony was played in rotation, it was natural for Chinese viewers to guess which piece would coincide with the parade of Team China, the last team to make its public appearance.

However, when the Chinese delegation marched in, led by a formation of women athletes dressed in bright red (termed China Red), instead of Western music, a Chinese song was played. 

Well, that was greatly encouraging to pretty much every Chinese - either at the venue or in front of the screens at home. 

The piece of music, entitled Ode to the Motherland, is one that most Chinese are familiar with, as it is almost as famous as the March of the Volunteers, China's national anthem.  

Viewers sitting in the Bird's Nest gave a thundering ovation and for sure TV viewers joined them in singing along. 

Yes, Chinese people have every reason to feel proud of their country. 

In 2019, they celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which 1.4 billion people call "motherland." In 2021, they marked with great jubilation the centennial of the Communist Party of China. Over the past two years, they have made great efforts to put the COVID-19 pandemic under total control. 

And they know more and greater achievements will be made under the leadership of the CPC, just as the song goes: "We sing in praise of our beloved motherland, as it marches toward prosperity and strength from today on."

If China can get 300 million people to engage in snow and ice sports as part of the preparation for hosting the 24th Olympic Winter Games, the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 will surely get a huge number of people to take interest in classical music. That would be a bonus for them that links them with both sports and music. 

The author is an editor with the Global Times