China’s 'Three Tenors' give Olympic performance

27 July 2012, 14:35 | Updated: 27 July 2012, 15:54

Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti are a hard act to follow, but China's answer to the Three Tenors have performed a special concert fusing Western and Chinese classical music.

China’s answer to the ‘Three Tenors’ performed at a special concert on Wednesday to send their best wishes to the London 2012 Olympics. Dai Yuqiang, Wei Song and Warren Mok performed alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra of the UK in a concert entitled ‘Best Wishes from Beijing – China’s Three Tenors London Concert’ at the Barbican.

They performed You and Me, a song used in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, as well as a medley of Western and Chinese music. Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves, classic opera arias by Verdi, and music from Bizet’s Carmen was on the programme, matched with Chinese folk tunes such as the Kangding Love Song and The Small Stream Flows.

"Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras are our idols. They have made bel canto easier to appreciate for common people," said Mok. "What we try to do is make Chinese culture more accessible through our performance in a way that is familiar to the world audiences."

The concert is part of London’s Beijing Culture Week, organised by the Beijing Performance and Arts Group until 31 July. The week also includes performances from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theater and Beijing Symphony Orchestra.