There is nothing comparable to hearing a top musician at an acoustically phenomenal concert hall. On Sept. 9, Emmanuel Pahud, the Principal Flute of the Berlin Philharmonic, held a 10-Year Anniversary Concert with Shanghai’s top emerging young musicians. During the concert, Emmanuel Pahud seduced the audience with his brilliant playing and captivating charisma. In short, he’s got it and he flaunts it. Every season, world-class artists and music groups like Itzhak Perlman, the Moscow Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic flock to Shanghai to perform at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center (SHOAC). The SHOAC, designed and built in 2004, is international acclaimed for being acoustically friendly and marvellously designed. The concert hall has nearly 2000 seats. The SHOAC is truly a wonder of its own.As a classical musician, I was astonished when complimentary tickets to this concert were offered by NYU Shanghai. Last season, when Emmanuel Pahud performed at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, tickets sold for approximately $200 USD (the equivalent of 1300RMB). For the first half of the concert, Pahud was joined by the 120-person Shanghai Youth Flute Choir. The majority of the repertoire was composed of traditional Chinese pieces specifically arranged for flute choir. There were over seven types of flutes, ranging from the contrabass flute to the piccolo.The second half of the program included some incredibly interesting collaborations. Pahud first played three solo works on the flute, and then the rest of the pieces were collaborations between him and the “emerging flautists.” He played the timeless Andante & Rondo Duet for Two Flutes by Doppler. Then, with a flute quartet, he played the Mozart Flute Quartet in D-Major; also, his flute-guitar duo played Astor Piazzolla’s Tango.Though the various pieces and artistic collaborations allowed for great diversity, the sheer length of the concert made it feel a bit like enduring a marathon. However, it was an incredible treat to listen to such a wide range of pieces in one concert. During the performance the camera flash buzzed with no hesitation, despite the fact that there were signs everywhere that said “no camera”. It is a long-held tradition in classical music to respect the performer that in between the movements of a piece, the audience is not supposed to clap. It is not a written rule, but I was most disappointed that many people in the audience left the concert during set changes. It is distracting to everyone near them. However, despite those mishaps, it was a world-class concert at a world-class concert hall. This article was written by Joanne Chun. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Kevin Li