My first experience with Bärenreiter publications was when I was learning to play the flute, specifically the Mozart Flute Concertos in G Major K.313 and D Major K.314. When I began my conducting studies, the initial works I engaged with were Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 K.543 and the Sinfonia Concertante K. 364. I performed these two pieces at a concert commemorating the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death at the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing on December 5 1991.
In my conducting experience, the production of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” in 2010 was particularly noteworthy. Using the Bärenreiter edition enabled me to present Mozart’s brilliant music to the audience with great success. Throughout the production, I was fully confident in the reliability of the score.
One of the highlights in my conducting career has been Beethoven’s 9th. Here I found that the Bärenreiter edition seemed to bridge the gap between me and Beethoven’s spiritual essence.
My particularly striking memory of Bärenreiter occurred in 1998, in a Vienna music bookstore, where I encountered the complete edition of Mozart’s works. I was so thrilled, as this was the collection I most desired to own in my whole life. I still treasure Bärenreiter’s facsimile edition of Mozart’s Requiem K.626 to this day.
Thank you for the great opportunity to share my experience with Bärenreiter!
Xincao Li, Conductor
Professor, PhD supervisor
President of China Conservatory of Music
Honorary Principal Conductor of China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO)
Vice President of the Chinese Musicians’ Association
President of the Beijing Musicians’ Association