Showtime in Shanghai

This year’s Asia tour by the Gewandhausorchester kicks off March 14 with a double date in Shanghai. Both performances at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center (SHOAC), a world-class arena for the world’s oldest civic orchestra, will also be brought to audiences worldwide via Livestream right here on DHL In Motion.

The superb acoustics of SHOAC’s 1,500-seat concert hall will ring with the music of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 on March 14, followed the next evening by a program of Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Shostakovich. The masterpiece concerts capitalize not only on the esteemed ensemble’s legend-packed catalogue, but are also perfectly measured to Asia’s fast-growing taste for Western classical music.

This is the orchestra’s second visit to the city since 2009. Shanghai’s landmark center for international cultural exchange sets a perfect stage for the Leipzig musicians, whose legacy dates back 250 years. Designed by a French architect and inaugurated in 2005, SHOAC’s sophisticated space hosts scores of top symphonic performers from around the globe, alongside Chinese productions of Western operas.

In glittering glass and steel, the elegant orchid-shaped structure is the city’s showcase for a country-wide upsurge in popular support for classical music. Like elsewhere in East Asia, it’s a growing market in China that typically appeals to more curious and younger audiences than in the West.

Musical diversity delivered by DHL

Gewandhausorchester is a living example of musical bridge-building across cultures, countries, genres and generations. The orchestra’s fine list of former music directors includes Felix Mendelssohn, Arthur Nikisch and Kurt Masur - to name just a few. Now taking its cues from chief conductor Riccardo Chailly, the orchestra presents hand-picked gems from its treasure chest repertoire, expertly bringing European cultural heritage to life in one of Asia’s most contemporary settings.

In partnership with Official Logistics Partner DHL, the orchestra then moves on to a week of performances in Japan. With its symphony of suit-to-fit services, DHL ensures the players and concertgoers alike a tour as smooth as silk – from Shanghai to Osaka and more.

 If you can’t be there in Shanghai, you can still enjoy the live performances right here on In Motion.

Friday, March 14th will see Kapellmeister Riccardo Chailly conducting Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.7.

For their second performance on Saturday, March 15th, Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire will join the musicians to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, popularly known as the Emperor Concerto. Concluding the Shanghai residency, the orchestra will perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5.