The commemorative performance activities of "Music Culture Week of the Concert Hall in the Flourishing Age 1999 " and the Celebration of the Re-opening of Forbidden City Concert Hall was held ceremoniously at the brand-new Forbidden City Concert Hall from April 26 to May 2, 1999. During the music culture week, people can enjoy the excellent performances of both the five philharmonic societies in China and the French musicians in this splendid art palace, which has high architecture level not only in the country but also in the world.
Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall is located in this loyal classic garden, Zhongshan Park, which has the flourishing pines and cypresses as well as the ancient pavilion and long corridors. It is east to Tiananmen, west to Zhongnanhai and south to the Tiananmen Square. Its excellent geographic location and unique human culture environment add the endless charm of this music palace.
The concert hall being reconstructed covers an area of more than 4,000 square meters with the total construction acreage of over 11,000 square meters. It is a multifunctional international theater, which melted with different architecture styles of both Chinese and foreign countries as well as the modern scientific technology. The performance hall, which can accommodate 1,400 audiences, is absolutely enchased and covered with the milky white marbles. It is so luxury and elegant with the extraordinary manner. In order to provide you with the best acoustic enjoyment, the engineers have the great originalities in layout the hall. Its audio and reverberation effect is qualified to be entitled as the first class in the country. The excellent view designs and let you enjoy the total stage performance wherever you are in the hall. The performance hall also set up five balconies in European style so as to provide you the best and most noble service.
The main hall covers an area of 600 square meters and it is 8.5 meters in height. Part of the second floor, housetop and the ground composes an actinomorphic fan-shape plane. The surface of the wall, pillars and grounds are all covered by the high quality stone materials like golden flower off-white or silver line off white stones. The surface of the wall tends to be much more splendid under the shine of crystal droplights with artistic sculpt on the top and the shine of the wall lamps. A huge white marble embossment stands under the front corridor, which are 2.5 meters in height and 25 meters in length. It displays the subject of nature, melody and life. The embossment adapts the representing techniques of the integration the realism and romanticism, so that it always runs through the Chinese and western music culture.
The stage is 23 meters in width and 14 meters in depth. The two great golden round pillars are 1.9 meters in width and 13 meters in heights. It is so splendid in manner. The rear area of the stage set four levels elevator platform. The elevator platform in each level is 14 meters in length and 1.8 meters in width. One piano elevator platform is set in the front area. A pipe organ, which is the biggest in the country, is installed in the rear wall. Five suspenders are installed on the top. And there are 124 hanging points used to hang 15 echo boards made of organic glass. It has excellent echo and reverberation sound. The player in the scene may feel like that he himself has become a note in the river of music.
The whole acreage of the audience hall exceeds 1,800 square meters, and its height is 14 meters. The plane pool seat is in the shape like a shoebox. The seats in the first floor are actinomorphic in outward appearance. And the other three floors are overlapped. The two floors in the middle are five same balconies. The audience's seats from the rear to front are shaped in three levels. There are 782 audience seats in the first floor and three entrances on its both sides respectively. The front and rear lines of each balcony in the second floor include 8 seats in total. There are 586 audience seats in the third floor and two entrances on its both sides respectively. The ceiling is a square alga well of 6 square meters. It is allocated with three light sources of tube light, light beam and light groove. According to the special architecture acoustic requirements, the wall surface is decorated with high quality wood and enchased with the Golden Flower Off-white marbles. Parts of the wall surface are enchased with the white marble embossment. The backs of the seats are made of hard wood covered with the red soft textiles. The hall as a whole is brilliant and splendid.
The concert hall not only includes the modern multifunctional service equipment but also set up a star-level standard VIP room and the conference room that can accommodate 200 audiences. It provides high quality service for the conferences in different level and scale. The film hall that could accommodate 180 audiences provides you with the best condition to enjoy of films in China or foreign countries. The coffee hall is filled with the music taste may provide you a best place for having a rest and entertainment.
The reconstructed Forbidden City Concert Hall is aimed to push forward and accelerate the symphony cause of Beijing and enrich people's cultural life as well as improve people's music culture tastes. Its ultimate target is to display Beijing as the cultural center in the country and become a base and important carrier for the development of Beijing symphony course. It provides reliable equipment guarantee for Beijing symphony cause. Meanwhile, the concert hall will also attract the first class high level music societies of both domestic and overseas to make performance there so as to let the concert hall become a first rate music art palace in the world. The concert hall also plans to hold various kinds of performance week, music festival and international music match activities. Meanwhile, it will regularly hold symphony popularization activities concert in free charge, symphony knowledge lecture and enjoyment of the classics of both China and foreign countries so as to improve the music taste of the people in Beijing and enrich people's culture life.
The "Music Culture Week of the Concert Hall in the Flourishing Age 1999 "activity gathers five well-known philharmonic societies in the country. Their performance sequences are Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Central Nationality Symphony Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra, China Opera & Pantomime Theater Symphony Orchestra and the Central Opera & Ballet Theater Symphony Orchestra. Moreover, it also includes the performance society of French Comic Theater that is lead by its music supervisor, Mi Falanzi (pinyin) to visit China. The contents and styles of all the philharmonic societies are totally different. On the 26th of April, Beijing Symphony Orchestra's "Poem of China" (No. 19 of the piano, chorus and orchestra works) will become the prelude of the "Music Culture Week of the Concert Hall in the Flourishing Age 1999 ". The "Poem of China" is conducted by Tan Lihua and composed by China famous symphony composer, Wang Xiling. The famous violinist, Yu Lina will play again her violin concerto, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, which was first played by her. Meanwhile, Beijing Symphony Orchestra will also play First Symphony; On the 27th day of April, the Nationality Symphony Orchestra will held "Golden Achievement" Concert. The concert will be first played in Beijing ever since it was played in Vienna Golden Hall in the Spring Festival of 1999 by them.
The conduct, Chen Xieyang will lead his original team that once made performance in Vienna to conduct the famous folk music, Moon's Refection on Er Quan Spring, Phoenixes Opened her Wings and etc as well as the foreign work, recomposed by Chinese musician, such as "The Thunder Polka", etc. On April 28, conducting by Li Xincao, China Symphony Orchestra will perform the Forth Symphony of Tchaikovsky for the audiences, the young female pianist, Ju Jin, will perform the majestic piano concerto, The Yellow River, for you. On April 29 and 30, the French artists will play the works of the great musicians, Bach and Laweier(pinyin) and etc. On May 1, China Opera & Pantomime Theater Symphony Orchestra will held "The Concert for Chinese Classic Works of the in 20th century", that is conducted by Wang Endi. On May 2, the Central Opera & Ballet Theater Symphony Orchestra will invite the America specialist, Potenei (pinyin) to conduct the Special Concert of Beethoven's Works. Lots of the excellent philharmonic societies in both China and overseas will participate in the performance. Moreover, they will conduct the famous Chinese and foreign classic works with their best teamwork. All of those will add glories to "Music Culture Week of the Concert Hall in the Flourishing Age 1999 " and the newly established concert hall. In future, music culture week activities will be held at the end of April in each year.