Next stage of recovery

"The number of audience members per show will be less than 400 and each show will last no more than 80 minutes without breaks," Wang adds.

He notes the plan to offer free shows to medical workers has been on the table since as early as February, when the city was in the darkest days of its battle with the novel coronavirus.

"I've read lots of news about medical workers in Wuhan's hospitals and I was touched by their sacrifice," Wang says. "We want to express our gratitude to them with music."

The opening concert was staged by the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Chinese-Singaporean conductor James P. Liu, featuring programs including Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No 3 in E-flat Major, also known as Eroica, and Czech composer Bedrich Smetana's symphonic poems, Ma Vlast, literally translated as My Motherland.

"We've been unable to give a live concert for nearly half a year, which is the longest period in my life that I have gone without giving live performances," says Liu, who was appointed music director of the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004.

"During the viral outbreak, I stayed in Wuhan and slowed down the tempo of my life," he recalls. The conductor usually travels the world to perform. "I had lots of time reading music scores and preparing myself for future concerts. Now, I can't wait to get back to the concert hall and meet up with the audience."