0:00:28 > 0:00:32They've travelled 5,000 miles across the globe for one night only
0:00:32 > 0:00:33to make their Proms Debut.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37The China Philharmonic Orchestra are certainly making it
0:00:37 > 0:00:40worth their while, with a concert of epic proportions.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Based in Beijing and just 14 years old,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50it's the State Orchestra of the People's Republic of China,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52and they don't do things by halves
0:00:52 > 0:00:54we've got two overtures, two concertos
0:00:54 > 0:00:56and a fantastic orchestral showpiece to end.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59This is the first in our series of Sunday Proms,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03which will bring you some of the stand-out events of the Proms season
0:01:03 > 0:01:07over the next seven weeks, including other first-time visits of orchestras
0:01:07 > 0:01:10from far afield. We've got orchestras from Australia, from Turkey.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12But there is a huge sense of anticipation
0:01:12 > 0:01:15here at the Royal Albert Hall for tonight's orchestra.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19It's emblematic of how the appetite for classical music in China
0:01:19 > 0:01:21just keeps growing and growing.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Something extraordinary is happening in China.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35An estimated 15 million young people are currently pulling up a stool,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38lifting the lid and learning to play the piano.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40From this new generation of players,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44will come some of the global classical music stars of the future.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Musicians whose names we'll all know in a few years' time.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51For the last 20 years, classical music has developed very well.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55And also we have had so many young musicians growing up
0:01:55 > 0:01:58now come also to the international stage.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's part of the Chinese culture
0:02:00 > 0:02:03to be really curious about learning knowledge
0:02:03 > 0:02:05and I think they highly revere classical music
0:02:05 > 0:02:08so they really wanted to learn from it.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10The interest in western classical music
0:02:10 > 0:02:13has mirrored the boom in the Chinese economy.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The musical disciplines of hard work and dedication
0:02:16 > 0:02:20have chimed perfectly with the new middle-class families
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and have been embraced wholeheartedly,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26to the point where on factory turns out a piano every minute.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28What makes this all the more extraordinary
0:02:28 > 0:02:32is that just 40 years ago, this music was effectively banned in China.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40As Chairman Mao attempted to shape a new culture for Communist China,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44western music was forbidden, deemed imperialist and corrupt.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48It's said that the piano came in for particular criticism
0:02:48 > 0:02:52as a coffin in which you could hear
0:02:52 > 0:02:54the rattling bones of the bourgeoisie.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The generation of musicians before this one
0:02:57 > 0:02:59risked having their fingers broken
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and were often banished to the countryside to do manual work.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- TRANSLATED: - During the Cultural Revolution,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08most of our records, from Tchaikovsky, to Brahms to Cliburn,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10were taken from homes when they were ransacked.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14When they were returned to us, they were just a pile of rubbish.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Mao's death in 1976 brought the end of the Cultural Revolution.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22When the Central Conservatory finally threw open its doors again,
0:03:22 > 0:03:2718,000 people applied for just 100 places.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29In that first class were some of the people
0:03:29 > 0:03:32who define contemporary Chinese music today,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35including Tan Dun and one of our composers in tonight's Prom,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Qigang Chen, who was also in charge of the music
0:03:38 > 0:03:41for the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46The Chinese orchestra itself is very well developed in the past 20 years.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51And not only the major cities like Beijing, Shanghai,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54also in the second branch city, they established new orchestras.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Western classical music has exploded in China.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Gleaming new concert halls are being built in cities across the country,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05like the showpiece egg in Beijing and there's less formality too.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Younger audiences flock to hear their heroes play,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and film them on their smartphones.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13When you perform in the West,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16you see most of the people in the audience,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18they are either middle-aged...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But in China you see all these college students and kids
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and after the concert, CD signing,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26you see all these college students lining up.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29So it is a very different phenomenon in China.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32New stars, new orchestras and new works.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36And tonight an extraordinary debut for the China Philharmonic
0:04:36 > 0:04:37here at the BBC Proms.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42They're bringing a very generous programme.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Music by Tchaikovsky, his Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49a piano concerto by Liszt and a new work for trumpeter Alison Balsom
0:04:49 > 0:04:51from the Chinese-born Qigang Chen,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55with a grand finale of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58But first, they've come all this way to London to perform music
0:04:58 > 0:05:01by none other than our very own Sir Edward Elgar,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03one of his Pomp And Circumstance Marches,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06a quintessentially English classic.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11APPLAUSE
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And here to conduct the China Philharmonic Orchestra
0:05:15 > 0:05:19in Elgar's Pomp And Circumstance March No 4 is Long Yu.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41MUSIC: "Pomp And Circumstance March No 4" by Edward Elgar
0:10:32 > 0:10:36APPLAUSE
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Long Yu, conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra
0:10:49 > 0:10:53in Elgar's Pomp And Circumstance March No 4.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Long Yu said earlier that Elgar's music
0:10:57 > 0:11:00is very well known in China and widely played,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04but it's a great honour to play it in Elgar's home country.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09Next up, we have music by a composer who is wildly popular in China -
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Tchaikovsky was 29 when he wrote his first masterpiece,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18his fantasy overture based on Romeo and Juliet.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22The piece doesn't tell the story as much but captures something
0:11:22 > 0:11:27of the characters and atmosphere in Shakespeare's great tragedy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29So we have the first section, with its churchy feel,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32representing the compassionate Friar Laurence,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35the monk who secretly marries the love-struck couple.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Fast and exciting music after that,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39inspired by the sword fights between the warring clans,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41the Montagues and the Capulets.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44And then the famous love music, with a tune for Juliet,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46which the French composer Berlioz called,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49"The most beautiful melody of the 19th century".
0:11:49 > 0:11:51The gorgeous music can't last, though.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56The sombre final bars confront us with the lovers' tragic end.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59APPLAUSE
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And here to conduct it, Long Yu.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10The China Philharmonic Orchestra now, with Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24MUSIC: "Romeo and Juliet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
0:29:54 > 0:29:58APPLAUSE
0:30:12 > 0:30:14An energetic interpretation there
0:30:14 > 0:30:17of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy Overture
0:30:17 > 0:30:21by Long Yu, conducting the China Philharmonic Orchestra.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28He's always said there's a very special relationship
0:30:28 > 0:30:29between China and Russia.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Literature and culture came to China very early from Russia
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and that in terms of character, he said,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38"We are very close to the Russians, especially in the north of China.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40"So we love Tchaikovsky's music."
0:30:46 > 0:30:50And as Long Yu comes back on to the stage to take another bow,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52it's worth just pausing to remember
0:30:52 > 0:30:58that gorgeous love theme from the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01You know, Tchaikovsky's friend, the composer Balakirev,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04wrote him a letter after hearing that love music for the first time.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07It says, "I imagine you lying naked in your bath
0:31:07 > 0:31:09"and that a French actress
0:31:09 > 0:31:13"is washing your tummy with hot lather from scented soap."
0:31:13 > 0:31:15So let me leave you with that image!
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Well, after those two overtures, the first of our two concertos tonight.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28And there's only one thing an orchestra from China
0:31:28 > 0:31:30could possibly bring to the Proms.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34It had to be a spectacularly virtuosic piano concerto.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37And, frankly, it doesn't get much more virtuosic than one by Liszt.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40China has really become the powerhouse of the piano,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43with eye-watering numbers of children currently taking lessons.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Some estimates put the figure at over 50 million.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48It's produced some of the most famous players of recent years
0:31:48 > 0:31:50but it has to be said they owe it all
0:31:50 > 0:31:53to the original super-virtuoso, Franz Liszt,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56the first true international celebrity of the piano.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Liszt said that a concerto should be,
0:31:58 > 0:32:03"Clear in sense, brilliant in expression, and grand in style",
0:32:03 > 0:32:05and tonight's is certainly all that.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08It's the first of two he wrote.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10He spent over 25 years tinkering with it,
0:32:10 > 0:32:12before giving the premiere performance in 1855
0:32:12 > 0:32:14with himself at the piano,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17and the French composer Hector Berlioz conducting.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Well, tonight's soloist is Haochen Zhang,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23one of the most exciting young virtuosos to come out of China.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26He's just celebrated his 24th birthday,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29he has a packed international schedule and he studies
0:32:29 > 0:32:31with the same teacher that taught
0:32:31 > 0:32:34China's greatest piano export, Lang Lang.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38I caught up with him earlier today to talk pianos and Proms.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42I was introduced to the piano by my parents.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47But the actual reason was actually not very music-related
0:32:47 > 0:32:50because my mom at that time was learning English and part of
0:32:50 > 0:32:56her homework every week is to read this US magazine, Reader's Digest.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59One of the articles caught her attention, and it's something
0:32:59 > 0:33:05like, "How piano is one of the best ways to improve baby intelligence."
0:33:05 > 0:33:07And 10 years, 20 years ago,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10we were still strictly under the one child policy,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12so every family only has one kid
0:33:12 > 0:33:17so that kid is the only future of the family, so intelligence,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20I guess, is something really important,
0:33:20 > 0:33:25so she thought, "Why not just let my son try and see how it goes?" Yes.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27And it went pretty well!
0:33:27 > 0:33:28- HE LAUGHS - Thank you.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31So tell us about the Liszt that you're playing for us tonight.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34It's a very romantic work, of course,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38with a lot of dramatic intensity in it
0:33:38 > 0:33:43and it's also very easy for the audience to understand,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46so I think it's a perfect combination
0:33:46 > 0:33:52and also I think it's a great piece also for the orchestra.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Are you looking forward to making your Proms debut?
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Yeah, very much. And, it's...
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I just got a glimpse from backstage, when I arrived,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04of the hall, and it looks absolutely incredible.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Of course, I saw it on YouTube countless times,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12but I'm sure it's never like experiencing it in reality.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13I'm really looking forward to it.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18APPLAUSE
0:34:20 > 0:34:24And here he comes,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Haochen Zhang to perform Liszt's Piano Concerto No 1,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29with that famous grand opening.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32And with him, conductor Long Yu.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38So sit back and enjoy Liszt's Piano Concerto No 1 In E Flat Major.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55MUSIC: "Piano Concerto No 1 In E Flat Major" by Franz Liszt
0:54:01 > 0:54:05APPLAUSE
0:54:11 > 0:54:14A wonderful reception here in the hall for the Proms debut
0:54:14 > 0:54:20of Haochen Zhang, playing Liszt's Piano Concerto No 1 In E Flat Major,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23with the China Phil, conducted by Long Yu.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33A lovely reaction there from the conductor,
0:54:33 > 0:54:34who was paying tribute
0:54:34 > 0:54:37to young Haochen's musicality earlier on today.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39The two of them had great communication,
0:54:39 > 0:54:41didn't they, during that performance?
0:54:49 > 0:54:53Haochen Zhang told us earlier that he feels safest
0:54:53 > 0:54:55when he practices and performs.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57He says, "Everything is not predictable in life,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00"but in music, when you practice more, you gain more."
0:55:02 > 0:55:04And if ever there was a good example
0:55:04 > 0:55:06of the work ethic paying off, tonight was it.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25Superbly confident performance of Liszt's first piano concerto.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Everyone in the crowd enjoying it!
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Another bow for Haochen Zhang.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Oh, there he goes, he's sitting down. We're getting an encore.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03MUSIC: "La Campanella" by Franz Liszt
1:00:50 > 1:00:53APPLAUSE
1:01:07 > 1:01:14Well, just listen to that response to Haochen Zhang's virtuosic encore.
1:01:14 > 1:01:17That was Liszt's La Campanella, The Bells. Just brilliant.
1:01:19 > 1:01:23What a wonderful London debut at the Proms for this young man.
1:01:23 > 1:01:26You know, if you didn't catch him playing us out of Proms Extra
1:01:26 > 1:01:30last night on BBC Two, it is worth taking a look on the BBC iPlayer.
1:01:35 > 1:01:38Now, the China Phil really don't do things by halves.
1:01:38 > 1:01:40Still to come, we'll be taking a tour of an art gallery
1:01:40 > 1:01:43in the company of Mussorgsky and his Pictures At An Exhibition
1:01:43 > 1:01:46and next we're going to be hearing a brand-new concerto written especially
1:01:46 > 1:01:51for spectacular British trumpet virtuoso, Alison Balsom.
1:01:51 > 1:01:53The composer is the Chinese-born Qigang Chen
1:01:53 > 1:01:57and even if you haven't heard of him, you've probably heard his music,
1:01:57 > 1:01:59as he was the music director
1:01:59 > 1:02:01at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
1:02:01 > 1:02:06The concerto is called Eternal Joy and I met up with Alison Balsom
1:02:06 > 1:02:10earlier during rehearsals, outside a very noisy Royal Albert Hall,
1:02:10 > 1:02:13and asked her about the significance of the title.
1:02:13 > 1:02:16So this new piece, the UK premiere of which is tonight,
1:02:16 > 1:02:18it's called Eternal Joy. Is it joyous?
1:02:18 > 1:02:21I would say it's very joyous to play.
1:02:21 > 1:02:26I mean, it's very challenging, but it has moments of real, true joy
1:02:26 > 1:02:29and I think the audience will feel very uplifted by the piece.
1:02:29 > 1:02:31It's very original and I think it takes us
1:02:31 > 1:02:34on a real journey of emotions.
1:02:34 > 1:02:37Well, the composer did say that he wanted to push the boundaries
1:02:37 > 1:02:39of what the trumpet can do. Has he done that?
1:02:39 > 1:02:41He's really done that and he's very open about the fact
1:02:41 > 1:02:43that he said his prime motivation
1:02:43 > 1:02:47was to push the trumpet beyond what's possible and he's done that.
1:02:47 > 1:02:49But, at the same time,
1:02:49 > 1:02:52it's worth trying to get past those physical challenges
1:02:52 > 1:02:55to get to the nucleus of the musical ideas of the piece,
1:02:55 > 1:02:58because the colours and the ideas are very beautiful.
1:02:58 > 1:03:00So what should we be listening out for?
1:03:00 > 1:03:02Well, I think the interplay between the trumpet and the orchestra
1:03:02 > 1:03:06is very clever and subtle, but a wonderful kind of interaction.
1:03:06 > 1:03:11And also the thing that is probably not straightaway so obvious,
1:03:11 > 1:03:13but is a challenge, is for the trumpet
1:03:13 > 1:03:15just to play very, very long notes without a break and
1:03:15 > 1:03:18without having any chance for the blood to get back into your lips.
1:03:18 > 1:03:21But it does create this amazing tension and this kind of slow,
1:03:21 > 1:03:25slow build and finally it becomes incredibly glorious and virtuosic.
1:03:25 > 1:03:27So I think that's something to follow,
1:03:27 > 1:03:28but just kind of sink in to and enjoy.
1:03:28 > 1:03:31When I first heard about the piece, I thought,
1:03:31 > 1:03:34"Trumpets, China..." It's not what you expect, is it?
1:03:34 > 1:03:36The trumpet is a very western instrument
1:03:36 > 1:03:40and it's of course very versatile, but really within the western genres
1:03:40 > 1:03:43and I think that's why Qigang Chen chose the instrument,
1:03:43 > 1:03:46to kind of meet with the eastern sounds, you know,
1:03:46 > 1:03:48the pentatonic scales in the orchestra
1:03:48 > 1:03:53and this real fusion of the two cultures has been a joy.
1:03:53 > 1:03:56In all the rehearsals and at the first performance in Beijing,
1:03:56 > 1:04:00I felt very honoured to be the sole westerner in the project,
1:04:00 > 1:04:02representing the west with my trumpet.
1:04:04 > 1:04:07APPLAUSE
1:04:07 > 1:04:10And here she comes, Alison Balsom...
1:04:10 > 1:04:14to perform Eternal Joy, by Qigang Chen.
1:04:16 > 1:04:18This is the UK premiere of this work.
1:04:18 > 1:04:21She gave the world premiere earlier this month in Beijing
1:04:21 > 1:04:23at a very special, star-studded concert
1:04:23 > 1:04:25for Long Yu's 50th birthday.
1:04:25 > 1:04:28Long Yu, taking his place on the podium now.
1:04:51 > 1:04:55MUSIC: "Eternal Joy" by Qigang Chen
1:22:35 > 1:22:39APPLAUSE
1:22:53 > 1:22:55Well, that look at the end from Alison Balsom
1:22:55 > 1:22:57just said it all, didn't it?
1:22:57 > 1:23:01A kind of amazed and delighted relief to have got through
1:23:01 > 1:23:05what she described to me earlier as the hardest piece she's ever played.
1:23:05 > 1:23:07My goodness, she made it look so easy!
1:23:07 > 1:23:10What a spectacular performance.
1:23:10 > 1:23:16That was a piece called Eternal Joy by the Chinese composer Qigang Chen.
1:23:18 > 1:23:22And there he is. Come to take his bow.
1:23:23 > 1:23:27He wrote it especially for Alison. He wanted to challenge her.
1:23:30 > 1:23:32A warm embrace for Long Yu, the conductor.
1:23:42 > 1:23:45Fascinating story about the composer, actually.
1:23:45 > 1:23:48Qigang Chen spent three years in confinement,
1:23:48 > 1:23:51undergoing "ideological re-education"
1:23:51 > 1:23:54during the Cultural Revolution in the '60s and '70s.
1:23:54 > 1:23:57He managed to get away, he got out of China, went to Paris
1:23:57 > 1:24:00and he studied with the great French composer, Messiaen.
1:24:23 > 1:24:24I always think it says a lot
1:24:24 > 1:24:28when the orchestra is applauding quite that warmly for the soloist.
1:24:36 > 1:24:38Alison actually filmed a really fascinating video diary
1:24:38 > 1:24:43for Proms Extra, which if you missed yesterday you can see again
1:24:43 > 1:24:46on the BBC iPlayer, all about her trip to Beijing
1:24:46 > 1:24:48to give the world premiere of that piece
1:24:48 > 1:24:52and how difficult it was to learn. But, really tremendous story.
1:24:54 > 1:24:57Well, the final work in tonight's epic Prom,
1:24:57 > 1:24:59makes for an outstanding finale.
1:24:59 > 1:25:03The thrilling sounds of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition.
1:25:03 > 1:25:06Now, this piece was inspired by the premature death
1:25:06 > 1:25:09of Mussorgsky's great friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann.
1:25:09 > 1:25:13The exhibition of the title was a kind of posthumous fundraiser,
1:25:13 > 1:25:16showing Hartmann's paintings and drawings and architectural designs.
1:25:16 > 1:25:20Now, he's not very well known now but at the time of his death in 1873,
1:25:20 > 1:25:22Hartmann was hugely popular in Russia
1:25:22 > 1:25:25and lots of the pictures that Mussorgsky describes in music
1:25:25 > 1:25:28were actually sold then and there at the exhibition
1:25:28 > 1:25:31and so are now missing in the mists of time.
1:25:31 > 1:25:36Mussorgsky's Pictures are separated by music called Promenade,
1:25:36 > 1:25:38as the composer makes his way around the gallery,
1:25:38 > 1:25:42which is of course a very fitting choice for tonight's Promenaders.
1:25:42 > 1:25:44The piece was originally written as a piano solo
1:25:44 > 1:25:47but in the 1920s the brilliant French composer Maurice Ravel
1:25:47 > 1:25:50decided to re-work the music for orchestra.
1:25:50 > 1:25:53And what resulted was one of the 20th century's
1:25:53 > 1:25:55most spectacular orchestral showpieces.
1:25:55 > 1:25:59Really highlights the virtuosity of all the members of the orchestra.
1:26:00 > 1:26:04We're going to see pictures of a nutcracker shaped like a gnome,
1:26:04 > 1:26:06we'll hear the musical version of a visit to an old castle,
1:26:06 > 1:26:10we'll witness chicks dancing in their eggshells,
1:26:10 > 1:26:12we'll hear gardens and markets and catacombs
1:26:12 > 1:26:15and then we will finish up at the Great Gate at Kiev.
1:26:20 > 1:26:24And here to conduct Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition is Long Yu.
1:26:44 > 1:26:48MUSIC: "Pictures At An Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky
1:59:31 > 1:59:35APPLAUSE
1:59:49 > 1:59:52Long Yu, the artistic director and chief conductor
1:59:52 > 1:59:55of the China Philharmonic,
1:59:55 > 1:59:58Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition.
1:59:58 > 2:00:02A wonderful finale to this, their first ever Prom.
2:00:16 > 2:00:20Long Yu himself earlier praised his powerful orchestra.
2:00:23 > 2:00:27And when he was talking earlier about the Mussorgsky, he said,
2:00:27 > 2:00:30"If you can listen with an ear to the feelings of our musicians from China,
2:00:30 > 2:00:32"you'll understand how much
2:00:32 > 2:00:35"the Chinese give their deep passion to Russian music."
2:00:37 > 2:00:39Well, you can hear the cheering
2:00:39 > 2:00:42and the stamping as Long Yu comes back once again to take another bow.
2:00:49 > 2:00:51I think we might be getting an encore.
2:00:58 > 2:01:02MUSIC: "Wonderful Night" by Liu Tian-Hua
2:02:55 > 2:02:59APPLAUSE
2:03:10 > 2:03:13Music from China, there. That was Liu Tian-Hua's Wonderful Night,
2:03:13 > 2:03:16played as an encore by the China Philharmonic Orchestra,
2:03:16 > 2:03:19conducted by Long Yu.
2:04:02 > 2:04:04There is a story.
2:04:04 > 2:04:09Because, just a couple of days before we're coming here,
2:04:09 > 2:04:15there's a few young musicians from the orchestra came to see me.
2:04:15 > 2:04:19They said, "Can we do some small pieces in the encore?"
2:04:19 > 2:04:20I said, "Why?"
2:04:20 > 2:04:23They said, "We just want to, because we are very excited.
2:04:23 > 2:04:26"And this is, for us, the first time in London,
2:04:26 > 2:04:32"first time in the UK, and also first time in the Proms.
2:04:32 > 2:04:37"So we want to show our appreciation
2:04:37 > 2:04:40"to be invited to London, for the Proms.
2:04:40 > 2:04:43"So we want to do some small pieces."
2:04:43 > 2:04:46And I said, "OK, let's do it."
2:04:46 > 2:04:51So, this is not a decision by the music director.
2:04:51 > 2:04:53- Not a decision by management. - LAUGHTER
2:04:53 > 2:04:57Not a decision by the BBC Proms here.
2:04:57 > 2:04:58LAUGHTER
2:04:58 > 2:05:02It's purely by the young musicians from the orchestra.
2:05:02 > 2:05:06I hope you like this little present. Thank you very much.
2:05:06 > 2:05:10APPLAUSE
2:07:49 > 2:07:52MUSIC: "God Save The Queen"
2:07:54 > 2:07:58APPLAUSE
2:12:29 > 2:12:33APPLAUSE
2:12:35 > 2:12:38Well, how about that? That's one way to make friends, isn't it?
2:12:38 > 2:12:42The China Philharmonic Orchestra performing a very special encore,
2:12:42 > 2:12:47an arrangement made especially for tonight of a set of variations
2:12:47 > 2:12:51on our National Anthem, based on a version by the 19th century
2:12:51 > 2:12:54French composer, Adrien-Francois Servais.
2:12:55 > 2:12:57They said it's a gesture of friendship
2:12:57 > 2:13:00from the orchestra to the Prommers. And I'd say that worked.
2:13:05 > 2:13:06And that is it.
2:13:06 > 2:13:10The China Philharmonic finishing in style here at the BBC Proms
2:13:10 > 2:13:13and what a first impression they've made.
2:13:13 > 2:13:15A concert of truly epic proportions.
2:13:17 > 2:13:21Plenty more to come here at the BBC Proms. Every Prom live on Radio 3
2:13:21 > 2:13:24and this Thursday on BBC Four, Tom Service will be here
2:13:24 > 2:13:26with Bach's St John Passion.
2:13:26 > 2:13:29For now, though, good night from all of us at the Royal Albert Hall.