The 31st Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), is held from 29 September to 30 October, and kicks off with Umberto Girodano’s four-acts opera Andrea Chénier. The event also features the concert “The Erhu Family” by Chen Yaoxing, Chen Jun and Chen Yimiao, an ensemble of three generations of erhu interpreters of the same family, fusing western musical instruments and elements and bringing a new charm to traditional huqin music. Tickets for the 31st MIMF are limited and the all members of the public interested are advised to purchase tickets as soon as possible.
In order to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Umberto Giordano, the Festival kicks off with a production of Teatro Regio di Torino of Giordano’s four-act opera Andrea Chénier , which narrates the tragic love story between patriotic poet Chénier and the noblewoman Maddalena during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution.
The unique style of fusion of the ensemble “The Erhu Family” is highly acclaimed at home and abroad. Chen Jun, in particular, is lauded as “The Paganini of Erhu” and has made appearances at the Wiener Musikverein, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Sydney Opera House, among other concert halls. This concert features mostly original works by the performers themselves, as well as adaptations of traditional Chinese and Western classics, offering an interesting and diverse performance.
The31st MIMF Outreach Programme features an array of activities and registrations are now open. In the talk “Andrea Chénier - Poet Guillotined for Love”, conducted by Chow Fan Fu, Vice chairman of the International Association of Theatre Critics of Hong Kong, will share his perspectives on the perennial fame of this opera and analyse its characteristics. In addition, the talk “Early Classical Period Opera: Christopher Willibald Gluck and Orfeo Ed Euridice”, and the pre-show talks “The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen”, “Soweto Gospel Choir”, “The Golden Peak” and “Timeless Beethoven” will allow the audience to know more about the 31st MIMF’s performances. Admission to most activities is free but seats are limited. Registration is available through the webpage www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event.
For more information about the 31st MIMF programmes and the Outreach Programme, please visit the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. For enquiries, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.