Music director of New York Philharmonic (NYP),Lorin Maazel at a press conference for NYP's debut at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on February 23. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.COM]

Many Chinese consider the New York Philharmonic to be one of the four treasures of American culture along with jazz, basketball and Woody Allen movies.

The world famous orchestra comes to Beijing today for a debut performance at the new National Center for the Performing Arts, just after another top orchestra, the London Philharmonic.

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest orchestra in United States. It has played many works as world premieres and is one of the first orchestras to let fans download its concerts online.

Beijing is one of several stops on the Philharmonic's Asian tour. It has already played in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai. It will give an unprecedented concert in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Tuesday.

The Philharmonic first visited Beijing in 1998 under former conductor Kurt Masur. It came here again in 2002 under current music director and famous maestro Lorin Maazel.

Maazel has conducted concerts at more than 5,000 venues around the world, including the Sydney Opera House and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Spain. He shared his thoughts about performing at China's new National Center for the Performing Arts at a press conference in Beijing on February 23.

"I've never seen anything in the world compared to this building, where we have the pleasure of being at this very moment. The sheer beauty of the scope of the architectural design really takes my breath away. It is most beautiful. I believe that it's acoustically friendly."

The New York Philharmonic's Asian tour also highlights rising Chinese musicians with assistant conductor, Zhang Xian, principal oboist Liang Wang and cellists Yu Wei and Tu Qiang.

Some media reports say China will be the focal point of classical music in the twenty-first century, Maazel praises the country and its classical musicians in this regard. He calls China "one of the most important defenders of classical music."

"I think the Chinese people will show their passion and very, very high sense of esthetics, which are an ideal spawning ground for an ever burgeoning interest in classical music. We from the West are already very grateful to their contribution."

As the father of seven sons, Maazel attaches great importance to instilling a love of classical music in young people. He spoke about it after he conducted a student orchestra in Shanghai.

"I was pleased to be able to play a small role in encouraging young people. Many of these young people will not become professional musicians, but they will become fans. It's so important. We need defenders of our tradition of classical music, if classical music is to survive. "

The New York Philharmonic will give two performances in Beijing. it will play four works that combine romance and new classicalism: Mendelssohn's "Symphony No. 4 Italy," Tchaikovsky 's "Pathetique," Dvorak's "Symphonies No 7," and Brahms' "Symphony No.4." It also will play Rossini's "The Silken Ladder."