"Panorama von Hunan" Concert Brings Chinese Folk Music to Austria

2026-09-15

Recently, the "Panorama von Hunan" concert was held at the Brahms Hall in the Musikverein in Vienna. As a project funded by the China National Arts Fund (CNAF) for communication, exchange, and promotion in 2026, this concert was jointly presented by the Folk Music Ensemble of the Hunan Song and Dance Theatre and the Festival Ensemble of Vienna. Renowned Swiss-Chinese musician and conductor Zhao Yuan led Chinese and Austrian musicians to stage the concert, using Chinese folk music as a bond to present the audience with a musical feast blending Eastern and Western artistic elements.

At the concert. (Photo provided by the organizer)

The event was attended by distinguished Chinese and Austrian guests, including Wang Tao, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, Sun Qinhang, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Austria, Zhang Yan, deputy director of the CNAF Management Center, and Heinz Fischer, president of the Austria-China Friendship Association (ACFA) and former Austrian president. Fischer said that music knows no borders and can bridge people across languages and regions.

At the concert. (Photo provided by the organizer)

The concert used Hunan's natural landscapes, cultural heritage, and ethnic cultures as its artistic thread. It featured several parts such as "Overture," "Landscapes," "Blossoms," "Mountains and Streams," and "Today" — spanning from natural scenery to ethnic culture and extending to an artistic portrayal of contemporary Hunan, creating a panorama of Hunan Province with distinctive regional character.

The concert featured a compelling blend of traditional repertoire and newly composed works, including "Morning in the Miao Mountains," "Homesickness," "In the Middle of the Stream" "Deep Night," "The Little Sisters of the Steppe," "Xiao Xiang," and "Ode to Dongting Lake," highlighting Hunan's musical heritage through works like "Panorama von Hunan." Traditional Chinese musical instruments — erhu, pipa, sheng, dizi, xiao, jinghu, and guzheng — intertwined with Western orchestral music, presenting a fresh expression of Hunan's folk music in Vienna. As the concert took place in the Chinese Year of the Horse, it concluded with the encore "The horse race," extending blessings steeped in Chinese culture for the 55th anniversary of China-Austria diplomatic relations.

The Hunan Song and Dance Theater has long dedicated itself to folk music, stage creation, and international exchange, staging performances in over 20 countries and regions. Leveraging music as a bridge, this concert renewed China-Austria friendship and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan