With the 21st Shanghai International Arts Festival, held from October 18 to November 17, in full swing, a crossover recital of the Croatian cellist Ana Rucner was presented at the Shanghai City Lawn Music Square on October 27.

An important session of the “12-hour special event” in the "Art Space" section of the festival, this one-hour outdoor concert received thunderous applause.

People sit on the Shanghai City Lawn Music Square to enjoy the concert.[Photo/ Eastday]

Whether it was “He is a pirate” from the film Pirates of the Caribbean, or a Chinese style song "Blue and White Porcelain", or the final song “We Will Rock You”, the concert was a combination of classical and modern style and also a fusion of national and world songs, presenting a wonderful auditory feast for the Shanghai audience.

As one of the most innovative classical artists of the past few decades, Ana is active on the world stage with her unique performance style. It is the first time she has performed at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. The hospitality showed by the listeners and fans at the site made her excited.

Ana Rucner performs at the 21st Shanghai International Arts Festival on October 27.[Photo/ Eastday]

"This is my first time to come to the Shanghai International Arts Festival, but not my first time to come to Shanghai. I have been here many times. I like the atmosphere, the people. The Shanghai audiences are very nice. They recognize music. For musicians, it is a good platform to show one’s talent, so I am very honored to perform here. I really respect all Chinese people, especially the Shanghai people. I want to say thank you because they gave me a chance to perform for them," Ana said sincerely in an interview with the Eastday reporter.

For many citizens, the “12-hour special event” program, which focuses on interaction and participation, is really an art carnival. Jointly created by the Organizing Committee of the festival and the Shanghai Huangpu District Government, the program has been held for three consecutive years.

This year, Shanghai Dashijie, also known as the Great World Amusement Center, joined in the program in cooperation with its adjacent neighbor, the Shanghai City Lawn Music Square.

In addition, at several important performance sessions of the "Art Space" section, 5G plus 4K resolution technology has been used to broadcast live on a number of mainstream platforms. Besides Ana's recital concert, the Norwegian Polar Ice Orchestra performance on the same day was also broadcast on the Tencent and iQiyi online video platforms. For some other excellent performances in the remainder of the festival, people will also be able to watch online without leaving their homes.