Germany occupies an important position in the history of the opera. Heinrich Schütz's score for the German translation of the Italian opera Daphne, written in the early 17^th Century, is usually considered the earliest incarnation of the German Opera. However, by the end of the 17^th Century, a form of German music had emerged that fused to-gether elements of Italian opera, French dances and German folk music. In the mid 18^th Century, the composer Johann Adam Hiller created the German Singspiel, borrowing significantly from English folk opera, and from that point onward, the opera gradually gained popularity throughout Germany, and more and more composers began to commit themselves to the composition of German language operas.

A stream of successful German composers followed. With Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's singspiels, which combined dramatic elements with his focus on musical quality, German opera reached its peak. Later, Carl Maria von Weber's establishment of the Deutsche Opera brought greater focus on artistic nuance, and launched the wave of Romanticism that swept across the German speaking region. Well known to Chinese audiences in particular is The Bridal Chorus from Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, a piece that represents the pinnacle of German Romanticism. Richard Strauss continued in that great Romantic tradition, but also made pioneering strides into Modernist musical ter-ritory.

At this year's Christmas concert at Winland International Financial Centre, we will be graced by the presence of German conductor Ivan Torzs, sopranos Christiane Libor, Anja Ulrich and Jingjing Li, mezzo soprano Ning Liang and tenor Joachim Seipp, as well as tenor Tilmann Unger, who, along with the Chinese National Symphony Orchestra, and the Beijing Harmonic Chorus, who will guide you on a journey along the Rein with captivating performances of classics like Mozart's die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"); Weber's der Freischutz, Wagner's Tannhduser, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde ("Tristan and Isolde"), die Walkure ("The Valkyre"), Siegfried and Gotterddmmerung ("Twilight of the Gods"), Richard Strauss' der Rosenkavalier ("the Knight of the Rose"); Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Beethoven's Choral Fantasy.

“As the event commemorating the 40^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries is drawing to a close, Chinese and German artists join hands to perform a classic work of German opera. This long-lasting partnership not only relies on efforts of both countries’ governments, but also the efforts of ordinary people such as Mr. Adam Yu, who has built bridges between the people of both countries. Mr. Yu’s ardent passion for music and opera in particular has allowed us to experience music’s border-crossing nature in its truest sense.”