The capital's classical music enthusiasts are enjoying October thanks to the annual Beijing Music Festival, which features concerts by musicians from all over the world.

For its organizer, one way to expand the festival's fan base is by taking advantage of innovation and so, during this year's festival, which runs until Sunday, some performances have been staged to display the impact of technology on classical music.

Among them was the concert, Pastoral for the Planet, performed by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, which included pieces such as Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No 6 in F Major, Op 68, the Introduction (La Tempesta) from Die Geschopfe des Prometheus, Op 43 and the second movement of the Symphony No 7 in A Major, Op 92.

Spanish avant-garde theater troupe La Fura dels Baus, founded in 1979 in Barcelona, which is known for producing the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, joined in with installations, performances, visuals and sound.

According to Huang Yi, the music director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, the idea for the concert was initially inspired by Beethoven's Symphony No 6 in F Major, Op 68, which is widely known as "the Pastoral".

From there, the idea was imaginatively expanded to flesh out the program. In addition to music by Beethoven, the concert also featured Orage from Anton Reicha's cantata, Lenore, Jota, a traditional song from Aragon in Spain, and Overture to Hero und Leander, Op 11 by Julius Rietz.

"The production combined classical and modern music, and was presented with live visual effects to create an immersive world, as we explored the complex relationship between humans and nature," says Zou Shuang, artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival.

"Classical music has long been celebrated for its beauty, complexity and emotional depth. Technology transforms the way we live, and it's also having a great impact on how we create and experience classical music," Zou adds.

Carlus Padrissa, director of La Fura dels Baus, says that audience was able to interact with the performance via a mobile app, bridging the gap between the environmental themes the production explored and their daily lives.

Padrissa says that the treelike installation they built on stage was an attempt to represent the power of life and nature by inviting the audience to not only listen to the music, but also "watch" it with their eyes, and respond using their phones.

"The key is to engage audiences with the music and the musicians. Technology plays an important role in that by preparing them for, and getting them excited about, an event, as well as connecting them to the musicians and allowing them to participate," he says.

The Spanish troupe has visited China many times and has worked on large international events, including World Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Soprano Sophie Karthauser and four dancers, among them Luis Garcia and Quico Torrent, also performed.

Zou says that 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain, and the visual symphony production was representative of the vibrant cultural exchange between the two countries.

She also says that this year's festival theme — "Future, Attitude" — signifies the exploration of new experiences and models through innovation.

"The aim of this year's festival is to combine classical music with modern technology and multimedia to create a new atmosphere for broader public engagement with classical music, and introduce change and influence to the genre," Zou says.

AI's Variation, an opera composed by Hao Weiya, was staged at Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall on Oct 3. It depicts a future world where artificial intelligence coexists with humanity, sparking discussions on the ultimate meaning of existence.

"One of the most exciting and controversial developments in the intersection of classical music and technology is the use of artificial intelligence to compose music. It offers a new avenue for creativity and innovation, allowing composers to explore new musical territory," says Hao.

"However, it also creates challenges. While AI can generate music that sounds similar to classical music, it cannot replicate the emotional and intellectual processes that underlie human creativity."

For the first time, Hao used electronic music in his composition. "The process of composing the opera made me think, and I hope that the result is thought-provoking for the audience," he adds.

In 2017, when Hao saw the news about AlphaGo becoming the first computer to defeat a world chess champion, he started to think about the relationship between AI and humans.

Young pianist Zhang Haotian, who once studied at the Mannes School of Music in New York and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, also staged his exploration of classical music during the festival.

On Oct 3, he gave a concert featuring pieces including Pyotr Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, Franz Schubert's Standchen, D 889 and Igor Stravinsky's Three Movements from the ballet Petrushka, in collaboration with digital artist Dada (whose real name is Da Qiuyan), and visual director Ren Dongsheng.

"We created something that was visually arresting and grabbed people's attention, which made me very excited," says Zhang.