Viola virtuoso tantalizes with tour

It has been about a year since Mei Diyang was appointed first principal viola at the Berliner Philharmoniker, the first Chinese national to become a member of the orchestra in its 141-year history.

On Sept 28, the 29-year-old returned to his home country with the Berliner Barock Solisten (Berlin Baroque Soloists), an 11-piece ensemble that specializes in early music which was founded by prominent members of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1995. Their concert in Beijing included a selection of Baroque and early Italian music.

"This is the first time I have performed with musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker in China, although I've performed several times here since I joined the orchestra. This tour really excites me," Mei said on Sept 27, a day before the concert at the capital's Forbidden City Concert Hall.

The concert was part of the ongoing Beijing Music Festival, an annual event.

Mei played the Viola Concerto in G Major by Georg Philipp Telemann, the first known concerto for the viola. Sixteen years ago, he played the same piece at the same venue when he was a student at the Middle School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music.