On the stage of China's National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing—just a few months ago—Yannick Nézet-Séguin stood before his Philadelphia Orchestra and spoke to an audience that included sponsors, patrons, musicians, diplomats, Chinese government officials and business leaders, as well as delegations from Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
"If,” the Maestro said, “Beethoven had known that, 200 years later, his Ninth Symphony, with its message of universal brotherhood and joy, would be performed in China with an American orchestra, a Canadian conductor, and a Chinese chorus and soloists, he would have been astounded."
This acclaimed concert, mixed and recorded by the prominent engineer Andrew Mellor—and to be released at a future date by Deutsche Grammophon—will be heard on Sunday, November 12 at 1 pm on WRTI, for the first time outside of the People’s Republic of China, as WRTI’s Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcast proudly broadcasts it, just as it was heard on May 31, 2017 in Beijing.
Soloists Soprano Yuanming Song, mezzo-soprano Hongyao Wang, tenor Haoyin Xue, and bass-baritone Shenyang, with the National Centre for the Performing Arts Chorus, all under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin will join the Philadelphia Orchestra for an unforgettable performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 that you must hear!
As a special bonus, Sunday’s broadcast will also bring to the airwaves for the first time a stirring performance by the Philadelphians and Yannick, done just two and a half weeks prior in Verizon Hall, of Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2.
This will be a memorable two hours of WRTI listening: Beethoven’s 9th from Beijing, China, and Schumann’s 2nd from the Kimmel Center—both heard for the first time on the radio.
Join us Sunday, November 12th from 1 to 3 pm on WRTI 90.1 FM, the WRTI Mobile App, or the classical stream at WRTI.org. Hear an encore broadcast on Monday, November 13th from 7 to 9 pm on HD-2.
PROGRAM:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
(From the China National Centre For the Performing Arts, May 31st, 2017)
Yuanming Song, soprano
Hongyao Wang, mezzo-soprano
Haoyin Xue, tenor
Shenyang, bass-baritone
The National Centre for the Performing Arts Chorus
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Schumann: Symphony No. 2
(From Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, May 6th, 2017)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Gregg Whiteside is producer and host of the Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcasts on WRTI, every Sunday at 1 pm on WRTI 90.1 FM, online at WRTI.org, and on our new mobile app! NEW: rebroadcast of Sunday concerts on Mondays at 7 pm on WRTI HD-2, as part of our new "Symphony at 7" lineup!
