Qigang Chen is a leading Chinese composer, who shares his working life between Beijing and Paris * works show marked influence of traditional Chinese folk music, blended into idiomatic orchestral writing in an entirely organic way * exquisite orchestral textures and dramatic gestures, best represented in the celebrated work Iris dévoilée * particular affinity with writing for the voice; has worked with vocalists from various traditions * music for the ballet Raise the Red Lantern, directed by the auteur Zhang Yi-Mou and toured internationally by the National Ballet of China * Director of Music for Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony * major interpreters include Yo-Yo Ma, Edo de Waart, Roger Norrington, Long Yu
Looking ahead: piano concerto for Lang Lang, Er Huang, to be premiered as part of Carnegie Hall's Ancient Paths, Modern Voices series in New York (28 Oct); a new orchestral work for the Hong Kong Philharmonic and a second ballet; feature on his music at Shanghai EXPO in 2010
"His compositions display real inventiveness, very great talent and a total assimilation of Chinese thinking to European musical concepts." — Olivier Messiaen
