by Marcela Ganea

BUCHAREST, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- A concert of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, hosted by the Romanian Athenaeum, wowed an audience here on Monday evening as part of a series of cultural events to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.

For two hours, the orchestra, led by Chinese pianist Wang Yalun, bamboo flute player Wei Sijun as well as Romanian pan flute player Gheorghe Zamfir, charmed the audience with their considerable virtuosity.

At the start of the concert, Chinese Ambassador to Romania Jiang Yu highlighted the significance of the Chinese Spring Festival, or lunar new year.

Some 800 people enjoyed the performance at the concert hall decorated with Chinese lanterns. Among the audience were musicians, experts of think-tanks, academics as well as foreign diplomats and ambassadors in Bucharest.

Lorica Ivaner, a retired teacher, was dressed in red as is traditional for the Chinese New Year. This marks the fourth time she is visiting such a concert, and she remembered perfectly all the details from last year's concert.

Adriana Radulescu, a lawyer, said that she would never miss an opportunity to go to China-themed events because she admires China a lot.

"I know China and I admire both its old civilization and what China is doing at present," she said, adding that "China has a culture of work, the ambition to achieve outstanding things and to create something for mankind. They (the Chinese) are very hard-working."

Andrei Licaret, a famous Romanian pianist, came for the first time to the concert. He has worked with Chinese musicians in Romania many times.

The concert included Bela Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, Concerto for Bamboo Flute and Orchestra by Guo Wenjing, Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Alexander Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and the Forest Dance by Gheorghe Zamfir.

Long Yu, the conductor, expressed his happiness to perform in Romania. "We are all very happy to be in Romania today... We are also happy to have the chance to learn about Romanian music."

The entire concert was a great success and received thunderous applause in the end. There was even an encore.