Concert rings in New Year

Renowned Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos partnered with Germany's Dresden Philharmonic to ring in the new year in Beijing Thursday evening. Hundreds of audience members were treated to the concert that marked the beginning of a new year through music.

Renowned Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos partnered with  Germany's Dresden Philharmonic to ring in the new year in Beijing Thursday evening.

At the Great Hall of the People, the concert started with the triumphant notes from Ode to the Red Flag. The orchestral prelude was composed by Lu Qiming in 1965.

The concert carried a light and joyful tone throughout the remainder of its program. A recurring classic concert piece, the Overture of The Marriage of Figaro, encouraged feelings of happiness through the form of a sonata.

Hundreds of people flowed in for the New Year concert. Many of them chose to capture the event with cameras and sent out blessings for the new year.

An audience said, "I am a painter myself. I am looking forward to opening my solo exhibition in 2010 at the National Museum of Fine Arts."

An audience said, "I wish everyone a happy life."

An audience said, "Good wishes for my family, friends and the world..."

An audience said, "I hope China will keep on going like now, because it's gonna be China-century."

Well-known Spanish conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos has performed with more than one hundred orchestras. In 2004, de Burgos was appointed the artistic director of Dresden Philharmonic. The German orchestra was founded in 1870 and is heralded as one of the world's finest.