London Philharmonic in Beijing

Kurt Masur led the London Philharmonic Orchestra in two concerts at the new National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on January 5th and 6th. Masur and the LPO will be one of the first foreign orchestras to play in the new hall, which was inaugurated on December 22, 2007. The first concert would include Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, with Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 and Brahms: Symphony No. 1.

The concert was the second of a series of 5 concerts to be held worldwide between 2007 and 2009. The first concert of the series, which took place in October 2007, was held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a leader in the world of orchestra.

Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur is well known to orchestras and audiences alike as both a distinguished conductor and humanist. In September 2002, Mr. Masur became music director of the Orchestre National de France in Paris. From 2000-2007 he has been principal conductor of the London Philharmonic. From 1991-2002 he was music director of the New York Philharmonic; following his eleven year tenure he was named Music Director Emeritus, becoming the first New York Philharmonic music director to receive that title, and only the second (after the late Leonard Bernstein, who was named Laureate Conductor) to be given an honorary position. The New York Philharmonic established the "Kurt Masur Fund for the Orchestra", which will endow conductor debut week in his honor at the Philharmonic in perpetuity. For many seasons, Maestro Masur served as Gewandhaus Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, a position of profound historic importance. Upon his retirement from that post in 1996, the Gewandhaus named him its first-ever Conductor Laureate.

Since 1989, when he played a central role in the peaceful demonstrations that led to the German reunification, the impact of his leadership has attracted worldwide attention. In 1995 he received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; in 1996 he was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor for Music from the National Arts Club; and in 1997 he was awarded the titles of Commander of the Legion of Honor from the Government of France and New York City Cultural Ambassador from the City of New York. Subsequently, in July 2007, Maestro Masur was upgraded by the French government to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, a rank rarely given to foreign citizens. On April 19, 1999, in Warsaw, Poland, he received the Commander Cross of Merit of the Polish Republic, one of the country’s highest honors. In July 2004 the board of the Beethoven House Bonn unanimously appointed Maestro Masur to become chairman of the Beethoven House, the composer's birthplace. In March 2002 the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Johannes Rau, bestowed upon him the Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. Masur is also an Honorary Citizen of his hometown Brieg. Since 1992 he has held the lifetime title of Honorary Guest Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In October 2004 the city of Münster bestowed upon Maestro Masur the Freedom Prize.