Recently, the Beijing Art Center launched its inaugural performance for the “Second Site of Art” series. This concert, a collaboration between the Beijing Art Center and Steinway, promises to deliver a transcendent musical feast that spans across time, while also heralding the upcoming “Second Site of Art” brand project set to debut in 2025.
The concert featured world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, who performed simultaneously at the Beijing Art Center Concert Hall and the Zhihui Hall of the Beijing Urban Library. Through cutting-edge ultra-high-definition live streaming technology, the event enabled audiences in both locations to experience an immersive and unparalleled audio-visual experience akin to attending a live performance.
That evening, Lang Lang began the concert with Fauré’s “Pavane” at the Beijing Urban Library, performance that skillfully unfolded a timeless classical narrative. He continued with Schumann’s “Blumenstück,” where his poetic and profound interpretation guided the audience through a spectrum of emotions. As the “Second Site,” the Beijing Art Center Concert Hall provided an identical auditory experience to a live performance, enhanced by a screen connected to the piano that captured Lang Lang’s engaging performance style, resulting in an extraordinary “audio-visual experience.”
Lang Lang then surprised the audience by appearing on stage at the Beijing Art Center Concert Hall, where he performed a selection including the Winter Olympics theme song “Snowflake,” the Chinese piece “Bright Moon,” and three mazurkas by Chopin, showcasing his versatility across various musical styles.
During the transitions, several winners of the Steinway National Youth Piano Competition entertained the audience at both venues with diverse performances. The concert concluded with an encore of the final “theme reprise” from Bach’s “Goldberg Variations.”
Looking ahead, the Beijing Art Center will launch 12 performances as part of the “Second Site of Art” brand project in 2025. This initiative includes two main segments: ultra-high-definition live broadcasts of Steinway’s “New Joy Piano” concerts, world-class music transmissions, and live productions from the National Centre for the Performing Arts; as well as screenings of opera films and live performances from the National Theatre in the UK.
The “Second Site of Art” serves as one of the Beijing Art Center’s initiatives to promote art accessibility. By leveraging cutting-edge 8K ultra-high-definition technology, 5G networks, and immersive audio, alongside the venue’s exceptional audiovisual capabilities, the project aims to provide audiences with an intimate view of high-quality performances—capturing the best angles and details often missed in traditional viewing settings. Moreover, the project will utilize subsidized ticket pricing to maximize audience reach, promoting the dissemination of diverse performance arts while delivering an artistic experience that transcends time and space.
