A member of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra playing the guzheng.

The China Cultural Centre in Malta marked the approach of the Mid-Autumn Festival with two events celebrating the richness of Chinese traditional music, culminating in a prestigious concert by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at the Manoel Theatre on September 3.

The celebrations began on September 2 at the China Cultural Centre in Valletta with Chinese Elegance: A Mid-Autumn Musical Evening, an intimate lecture-performance by members of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. Guests had the opportunity not only to hear traditional Chinese music but also to discover the history and distinctive sounds of its instruments. An exchange with the musicians followed, while mooncakes and traditional refreshments brought a taste of the approaching Mid-Autumn Festival to the evening.

Orchestra members playing at the Manoel. The photos below showcase the bamboo flute (left) and the suona.

The following night, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra took to the historic stage of the Manoel Theatre for Music from the Sea. Founded in 1952, the orchestra presented a programme that brought Chinese musical traditions into contemporary expression, while also paying tribute to its Maltese setting with a performance of the Maltese song Festa. The concert played to a packed theatre and an audience that responded enthusiastically from the outset.

The remarkable range of traditional Chinese instruments was showcased: from plucked strings such as the guzheng and pipa to the two-stringed bowed erhu, and wind instruments including the bamboo dizi, sheng and powerful suona.

Musicians playing (from left) the erhu, ruan and sheng, with percussions at the back.

In the hands of accomplished musicians, their distinctive sounds moved effortlessly between delicate, graceful melodies and passages of breathtaking speed and energy. Applause and cheers punctuated the evening, before the musicians were ultimately greeted by a standing ovation from the entire theatre.