Nino Rota’s Divertimento Concertante for Double Bass and Orchestra is such a rarity on Chinese concert stages that any performance of the work deserves special mention.

In Xichang, Sichuan province, double bassist Xu Li performed the piece with the Liangshan Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tang Qingshi, the orchestra’s founder and artistic director. The Liangshan Symphony operates under extremely challenging financial conditions, making this performance all the more remarkable.

The concert, held on April 4th at the Jinying Grand Theatre in Xichang, was part of a budget-friendly series for the local community. Following the Rota, Xu Li offered Massenet’s Méditation as an encore.

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