In Beijing, the National Centre for the Performing Arts is presenting a series of five top-level concerts. In its fifth Percussion Music Festival, NCPA is bringing together some of the world's best percussionists. CGTN's reporter relives the opening show last Friday.  

For the opening night of the NCPA Percussion Music Festival, the program spanned the 20th century. Alongside Stravinsky's 1910 classic The Firebird, was the highly acclaimed Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, a 1990s composition from American musician Joseph Schwantner.

Led by maestro Lu Jia, the NCPA Orchestra presented a superb collaboration with Mr. Li Biao, a prominent percussionist on the international stage.

LI BIAO PERSUCCIONIST "Percussion music differs from the sounds of all other instruments. Its variety and range is simply amazing. At a percussion music concert, you will see several scores of different instruments on stage. Each and every one of them has a distinctive sound. So a good percussionist is like a collector of sounds. An eclectic taste is essential for the appreciation of percussion music. At a percussion concert, the listener will encounter many unfamiliar but very exciting sounds. These sounds produce a harmony of their own."

The opening night will be followed by another four concerts from this Tuesday to Saturday. Among the musicians are leading soloists and ensembles in percussion music.

A special show on Thursday will be dedicated to indigenous Chinese sounds. The resounding yet sensitive rendition on Friday night greatly tickled the fancies of Beijing's concert-goers.

AUDIENCE "I come from Dali in Yunnan province. In my hometown, our musical tradition has very notable percussion elements. Now I can listen to the concerto from America. It's a delightful experience. I've looked forward to it for a long time."

This year's theme of Summertime Rhapsody ushers the NCPA Percussion Music Festival into its fifth season. Beginning in 2010, it is held in August every two years. Regarded as a showcase of the world's best percussion music, the event has become a fixture in Beijing's late summer music scene.