The Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra astonished the audience on the very same day of the selection of the Legendary city of Hangzhou.

In the presence of Huang Xuming, Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Province, Yang Yueguang, Deputy Minister of Culture of Zhejiang Province, Yang Jian, President of Geely Group and Representative of Austrian, Czech, German, Italian and Swedish consulates in Shanghai, the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, directed by Maestro Muhai Tang, astounded the audience of the Hangzhou Zhejiang Concert Hall. The concert took place on the very same day as the election of this legendary city and its beautiful West Lake cultural landscape as one of the 2011 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Orchestra, harmoniously led by the brilliant and world-renowned Shanghainese conductor, performed an exquisite selection of pieces from traditional Chinese repertoire to classical Western repertoire. The melody of Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake gave the audience a stirring impression of the peaceful scenery of Hangzhou's West Lake and the masterpiece, The Flying Partridge, which is based on a poem by Li Bai and included an inspiring contribution from bamboo flute soloist Jiang Guoji, carefully traced the ornate and weightless flight of a partridge.

In the second half of the concert the Orchestra revealed its technical virtuosity with Dvorak's famed and spectacular symphony From the New World.

The concert was a premiere in anticipation of the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra's European Tour which will take place later this year in September.

The Orchestra will travel through Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden with the final concert in Brussels, Belgium, reaching eight performances in total. This tour includes participation in some of the most prestigious classical music festivals, such as, the MITO festival in Turin and the Prague Dvok Festival in the Czech Republic.

The programme will cover an extensive repertoire including Dvorak's No. 5, No. 8 and No. 9 symphonies and several contemporary Chinese compositions. The tour will represent a distinctive musical journey that harmoniously combines Chinese and Western cultures. The European audiences will have the opportunity to better understand the developing status of Western symphonic music in China and experience the charming quality of Chinese music and the profound emotions that it conveys.

This wonderful and challenging tour has been made possible by the important contribution of Geely, one of China's top ten auto manufacturers.