Like the beauty of the skies above, music always touches our hearts. Aiming to reach the highest and most beautiful notes, the Macao International Music Festival has invited leading musicians and orchestras from around the world to honour us with a melodic feast.
Looking up to the night sky, a constellation glitters as if telling countless stories. Tosca, Puccini’s operatic gem, stands as a masterpiece known for beautiful arias, from Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore (I lived for art, I lived for love) to E lucevan le stelle (The stars were shining brightly). This timeless classic will open the Festival, lighting up the horizon, brought by the excellence of Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre.
The grand opening will be followed by a line-up of renowned, dazzling musicians. Amongst them is the great jazzist Wynton Marsalis, with his long-awaited debut in our city, leading an electrifying experience with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A number of well-loved interpreters will make their comeback too. Hailed as “a violinist’s violinist”, Leonidas Kavakos will masterly perform a repertoire of eternal tunes, while charismatic pianist Hélène Grimaud travels with the Camerata Salzburg, bringing along Viennese School classics in her luggage. Irreverent pianist Ivo Pogorelich will lead melomanes through the mood of Romanticism. A different, but equally exciting moment awaits us when the revered jazz pianist and lifetime Grammy winner Herbie Hancock arrives at our shores with a much-anticipated return concert.
The Festival bestows a wide variety of high-quality performances, creating exciting memories. The venerable Mariinsky Orchestra will perform Russian classics (with hints of French impressionism) in two bold symphonic concerts. Also heading our way are Kayhan Kalhor, Wu Man, and Sandeep Das, three friends that got together to bring a multi-cultural feast with their folk instruments. Fado’s divine voice, Mariza, will team up with the Macao Chinese Orchestra to render a delicate blend of Oriental and Western traditions. Praised as “an exploding star in the musical firmament” the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will demonstrate its excellence in two concerts displaying some of the finest European classical repertoire.
All these dazzling scores will be complemented by the multimedia performance The Nutcracker and I, produced by Alexandra Dariescu. Merging piano, ballet, and animated images, this show reimagines the dreamlike fairy tale with thrilling performances specially conceived for young audiences.
Besides bringing international, pristine interpreters and repertoires, the Festival has always provided local emerging interpreters with a platform to showcase their skills at Bravo Macao! This year’s line-up features several winners of the Macao Young Musicians Competition, who will share the stage with musicians of our own orchestras, unveiling a shining glimpse of what the new generation is made of.
In this joyful year marking the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, let us embark on a fantastic journey of rhythms, melodies and meanings, enjoying a wonderful time together!
Leong Wai Man
President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government