One of the Chinese capital's musical gems, the annual Beijing Music Festival (BMF), will raise its curtain on October 8. The event celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and its schedule and lineup were revealed at a press conference on Thursday morning. 

The 2017 program promises to blaze new trails while reinterpreting the glorious heritage of classical music. 

Rather than focusing on specific composers such as Wagner, Strauss or Verdi as in previous festivals, this year’s theme is “BMF at 20.”

The festival has brought many cutting-edge operatic productions to China. And this year is no exception.

"One of the major highlights is Wagner's opera 'Die Walküre', a joint production by Salzburg Easter Festival and the BMF. It will revive the original 1967 production with an infusion of modern stage technology. To commemorate the 190th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, the BMF invited Deutschen Kammerphilharmonie Bremen to perform the complete cycle of his nine symphonies," BMF Program Director Tu Song said.

To showcase Chinese orchestras, the 20th BMF will host a Symphonic Marathon concert performed by nine native orchestras. Music lovers will see a superb array of orchestras from around China over the span of 10 hours.

"Whether you are going after the biggest names in classical music, cutting-edge productions, or avant-garde theatrical events, this year's festival has it all. And we also have social and educational events as we want to showcase the best form of music, to all people. After 20 years, the BMF has started a new cycle of exploration, and it will keep driving forward the development of classical music in China," Tu said.

The BMF is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Beijing Municipal Government. It has become one of the most significant and creative cultural events in the country.

It will run from October 8 to 29.