Public performances of major Western religious music works such as Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem have been banned by China's Ministry of Culture.
Musicians and tour organisers have said that a number of significant performances had been affected amid a tightening of political control over the arts and Christianity, The West Australian reports.
Among the victims are the Academy of Ancient Music, one of Britain's leading orchestral and choral groups, which was invited to perform the Messiah at the Beijing International Music Festival.
The performance will go ahead this month but has been made "by invitation only" to get around the ban.
Ironically, among those invited are members of the Politburo and other senior government leaders.
The Sinfonica Orchestra di Roma has dropped plans to perform Mozart's Requiem in the Sichuan earthquake zone in honour of the dead and to raise money for survivors.
At least one other performance of the Messiah has been cancelled and one of Verdi's Requiem is under threat.
No one was available from the ministry of culture to comment on the ban.
But an official said: "A smaller piece as part of a bigger program might be okay, but a big work like Mozart's Requiem would definitely be out."
Although the official said the ban was long standing policy, Western choral classics have been performed regularly as China's cultural scene has opened up.
With a growing middle class, many of whose children learn Western classical instruments, the big names of international music have followed business and sport in eyeing the Chinese market.
Until recently the government seemed to give its backing.
The China Philharmonic Orchestra played Mozart's Requiem for the Pope in Rome earlier this year as proof of Beijing's sincerity in seeking the Vatican's diplomatic recognition.
But attitudes in the top leadership to religion and Western culture in general are thought to be divided.
SOURCE
China bans performances of Western religious music (The West Australian, 4/10/08)
LINKS
China Philharmonic Orchestra (Wikipedia)