Dunhuang Flying Apsaras, a performance which combined music composed by Qian Qi, ballet and traditional Chinese dance and lighting, was staged at the opening gala of 2023 Beijing Culture Forum last month. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The opening gala was held at Big Air Shougang, a landmark of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Titled Dunhuang Flying Apsaras, the performances combined music, dance, and lighting. Audiences were amazed by the show, which also featured 1,000 drones programmed to form the images of Flying Apsaras.

"Composing a piece of music for Dunhuang is challenging because I have to use music to portray images full of complexity," says the composer. "What made this composition even harder was that I needed to fit the music with the whole show, which had ballet dancers, traditional Chinese dancers, lighting effects and drones."

Over the course of a month, Qian revised his composition about seven times. A range of musical elements were used, including symphonic music, Chinese folk music, world music and choral singing. The show is about four minutes long, and Qian wanted to capture the audience from the first second.

"If you close your eyes, you can see the scenes of Dunhuang, its desert, murals, and travelers along the ancient Silk Road," says Qian. "Through visual technology, the audience was able to enjoy the culture and history of Dunhuang as part of an immersive experience."

It was not the first time the composer had been commissioned to write music about Dunhuang. He also composed music for large national events, among them the torch relay of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala, one of the most-watched TV galas in the country.