On February 24th, “When East Meets West” Music Concert was held at Reignwood Theatre, Beijing. It is considered as the most special stop of the London Symphony Orchestra's tour in China.

Different from traditional western symphony, this concert, fusing western symphony with traditional Chinese instruments, marks the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two master playwrights, Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare.

The London Symphony Orchestra's Gareth Davies played the dizi (a traditional Chinese flute) to present the premiere of And Nights Bright Days. The piece borrows its name from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 43 and the storyline from Tang Xianzu's classic Chinese opera The Peony Pavilion, in which lovers meet in their dreams. Its composer, Raymond Yiu, was inspired by the allusions in the works of the literary masters, both of whom died in 1616. This concert started with Claude Debussy’s Syrinx and ended with Chinese song Jasmine Flower. Liu xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, gave high praises to this concert.

As a Principal Partner of the LSO, Reignwood Group, in partnership with the LSO, has launched a series of culture, music and education exchange events. Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, Kathryn McDowell stated that, “both Reignwood Group and the LSO place great emphasis on building business, economic and cultural bridges between East and West. This forward-looking partnership is also a proof of both sides’ efforts to strengthen China-UK strategic cooperation ties.