Musicians to record hundreds of Western classics

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Chopin's Nocturne in C Minor, Puccini's Un Bel Di and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 (Choral) are part of a repertory of Western classical music recommended to Chinese college students by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education.

Some of the most famous Chinese musicians like violinist Xue Wei and soprano Zhang Liping performed works from this repertory of "My Concert Hall - Appreciation of Western Classical Music" project on Wednesday at the National Center for the Performing Arts, a showcase for the first phase of the project.

"Music is one of the most effective ways of aesthetic education for young people, because it is an art of emotion that can enrich young people's inner world," says Wang Cizhao, president of the Central Conservatory of Music and artistic director of the project. "At the same time, music is also a special form of thinking that can inspire people's imagination and creativity."

Initiated in 2011 by the NCPA and the ministries of culture and education, the "My Concert Hall" project has listed 675 works of classical music for the art education of college students, as suggested by an experts' committee of 29 renowned musicians that includes conductor Chen Zuohuang, pianist Bao Huiqiao and vocalist Guo Shuzhen.

The project has commissioned musicians from the China National Opera House and the Central Conservatory of Music to record the first batch of 185 works. The former recorded symphonic music and opera arias, while the latter recorded piano, violin and chamber music.

Established musicians like Yu Feng and Yao Hong participated in the recording. Now 17 CDs and DVDs have been finished, and presented to a number of universities.

The project will continue with recordings of the second batch of works next year. According to the Ministry of Culture, the finished recordings will be promoted at colleges and universities around the country.

"Young students are precious resources of the country and the hope of the nation. Constructing a healthy campus culture among China's universities is among the responsibilities of the cultural and educational sectors of the government, as well as arts organizations," says Cai Wu, minister of culture and planner of the project. "This project is aimed at introducing classical music to young students, who will be the key force in society."

"My Concert Hall - Appreciation of Western Classical Music" follows another project of art education for college and university students, "High Art on Campus", which was initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education in 2005 to fund arts groups to perform at colleges and universities throughout China.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.