By award-winning music critic Rudolph Tang direct from China.
Salty maybe, boring never.
klassikom.substack.com (https://klassikom.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Jasmine Chinese Orchestra plays crossover programme
Jasmine Chinese Orchestra presented a crossover programme last night at the Jasmine Theare, both affiliated with the Shanghai Workers’ Union.
The ensemble played music of its own creation and arrangement.
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20 Oct 2026
Liszt in a Wine Bar
Ever thought of wine tasting while listening to Liszt’s formidable Sonata in B minor in a pitch-dark cellar lit by nothing but two candles?
This is not Napa Valley but a private subterranean wine club in downtown west Shanghai. On a cool autumn evening at EPM Vintage & Club, composer and pianist Sansui played Liszt’s Sonata in B minor on a baby grand Kawai transported to the basement by eight workers, in a programme entirely of her own choosing.
Some say that given the steep stairs and narrow corridor, the piano might well stay there for good.
Wine club owner Simon told me that the music series had been suspended for six months. It resumed last week, with the piano now in place and a pianist he had met at jam sessions at the Artist la Pie bakery.
More and more businesses in Shanghai are embracing the concept of the “public piano,” encouraging music sharing and impromptu sessions from amateur musicians as a way to attract new customers and boost sales.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit klassikom.substack.com (https://klassikom.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
19 Oct 2026
The ultimate Rossini tenor showdown
World renowed Rossini tenor Juan Diego Flórez travelled to Shanghai last week. He sang in the opening gala at the inauguration of the Shanghai Grand Opera House yesterday, and then appeared tonight at the Expo Cultural Park in an open-air gala with guest tenor Shi Yijie, another brilliant Rossini tenor and President of the Shanghai Opera House. Diego Matheuz conducted the Shanghai Opera House Orchestra.
Both tenors were impeccable in artistry and technique. In the final moment of showdown, the duo encored O Sole Mio, as captured in this video. Now who’s the better Rossini tenor?
The video also captured how I got to the Park from the other side of Huangpu River. Yes I took a ferry and cycled there.
Filmed on October 18, 2026 in Shanghai
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Who has been a guest on KLASSIKOM=Innovations in classical music
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Hu Yongyan
Maxim Vengerov
Kong Xiangdong
Liao Changyong
Liu Wenwen
Podcast Authority Score: 17 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
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