In the long history of classical music, many master composers have created monuments in the form of their masterpieces. Today, celebrating their achievements on anniversaries has become an important ritual in the classical music business; classics are revisited to discover new and fresh perspectives, and to inspire the future. The 24th Beijing Music Festival devotes itself as a tribute to composers on their important anniversaries. Together with China's top ensembles and talents, it celebrates the legacy left us by by Igor Stravinsky, Camille Saint-Saëns, Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Verdi, Sergei Prokofiev, Arnold Schoenberg, Astor Piazzolla, Gustav Mahler, Ding Shande, as well as the outstanding achievements of living composers including Qigang Chen, Guo Wenjing, and Tan Dun, with the highest respect.

Igor Stravinsky, who died 50 years ago, is the highlight of the BMF this year, with operatic, orchestral, and chamber performances exploring his multifarious talents.

The 24th BMF prides itself as a youthful and pioneering get-together of China's best musicians and orchestras such as the China Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, the Guangzhou Symphony. The BMF Festival Orchestra, formed by players of members of the China Music Association Symphony Orchestra Alliance, performs a special concert. This is a festival to live for and to remember.