Amid all the talk of China’s growing appetite for classical music, there are now concrete examples of just how promising this scene is.

The New York Philharmonic recently signed an agreement with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to collaborate on a new orchestral training institute in Shanghai. The agreement also includes a series of touring exchanges and joint commissions of new works.

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It is Proms season again. But I am not going to describe any of those splendid concerts staged at the Royal Albert Hall. I just want to talk about a free live concert held on June 21 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Westfield London Shopping Centre, one of the biggest in the UK.

As part of promotions for the new season of Proms Out & About, the BBC Symphony Orchestra offered a wonderful dose of classical music at Westfield London. The orchestra was joined by operatic stars and local schoolchildren, who together presented this hour-and-a-half concert showcasing world-class music.

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Staatskapelle Dresden once again came to China last week. The tour was led by the young Nikolaj Znaider, who is not exactly renowned for his violin or his conducting. The concerts were fair but far from brilliant, according to the critics. And – whether because Znaider was not available or because the orchestra realised they would need a bigger conductor to match their reputation, we don’t know – they invited Lorin Maazel to fly to China especially for the last concert at the China National Museum for its grand opening day. There were of course many backstage stories about fighting between venues and the agency and between different sponsors, but that is normal for concerts – ugly scenes in the back and a good show in the front. After all, the classical music business is the same as any other business. Well, I got a little bit carried away, but gossiping is an exciting part of life.

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Lang Lang is everywhere these days and plays anything (and because of his star status, the story about his playing the Chinese song My Country in the White House led to totally redundant discussions involving thousands of people). Dudamel is likewise everywhere and tries everything. Just as the 30-year-old Venezuelan star conductor stormed the Barbican with the LA Philharmonic at the end of January, the South Bank Centre proudly announced that he will be performing with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in June 2012.

“How original is that?” asked my friend in London, who has been working in the industry for decades.

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The recent tragedy in Japan is certainly affecting people everywhere. In this very difficult moment, the world at large feels sorrow for those who lost their lives and the families who have lost their loved ones in the earthquake.

When the news arrived in China, subtle undertones were everywhere. A Chinese news reporter said loudly on TV: “When there was an earthquake in Wen Chun, the Japanese were the first professional foreign rescue team to arrive on the scene, and we hope that the Chinese rescue team can do the same.” It was a bizarre and surprising statement. What was the reporter’s point? Did he speak for the Chinese, or the Japanese? Who was he appearing on behalf of? The Chinese rescue team or the government? Without the government’s say-so, the Chinese rescue team could not do anything. And so they didn’t, until days later.

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