Tuned in, toned up

China's booming economy, the second largest on the planet, has also energized its arts scene and the NCPA has become central to this renaissance since it opened in December 2007.

Even so, NCPA President Chen Ping's ambition is not only to host big names, but also to launch a variety of projects, such as hosting an opera festival, dance competition, and collaborating with other top festivals and theaters around the world, in addition to commissioning original works.

As for the latest commissions, echoes play a big role in Gordon's Beijing Harmony, which was inspired by the capital city's architecture and has the theme of the past reverberating into the future. "I live in a very big city, New York, and I was certainly dazzled by Beijing, an even bigger city. Every city produces its own set of harmonies. In Beijing, I was enchanted by Echo Wall, a part of the Temple of Heaven, where voices echo from one side of the structure to the other," Gordon says.

"I envisioned a modern orchestra performing at the Temple of Heaven in the 15th century. Because of the expansive spaces in these ancient structures I imagined the sound would bounce off the stone floors and walls creating a fanfare of echoes, an acoustical rebounding and ringing that would slowly grow in zeal and fierceness."

To Holloway, the commission was both a challenge and pleasure. He was moved and stirred by the contrast between the timeless landscape and the 21st century world of technology and new constructions.

"I was inspired by the bold and exuberant new skyscrapers of Shanghai, contrasted with what they so strangely resemble, the weird and lovely mountain-shapes of Guilin," Holloway says.

Before the tour, Aho explored Chinese music to enrich his musical language. He says one of his favorite instruments is the guqin, a seven-string plucked instrument that has been listed as a UNESCO cultural and intangible heritage.

On his first day in Beijing, Aho was impressed by a traditional Chinese orchestra concert at the NCPA. The percussion group in the orchestra inspired him to begin his piece, Gejia, with a solo for three percussionists, two Chinese gongs and a small Chinese opera drum.

In Gejia village, the composers listened to young women singing folk songs. Aho used the melancholic melodies to ground his composition.