Italian conductor Daniele Gatti gave two concerts with the China NCPA Orchestra in Beijing on Oct 27 and 28.

To celebrate the 190th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Brahms, the concerts featured the German composer's music. They were also the first time the conductor and the orchestra had worked together.

"I have conducted other Chinese orchestras, like the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. This is the first time that I have conducted the China NCPA Orchestra, which is a young and dynamic orchestra," Gatti said before the concert on Oct 27.

He also mentioned that the three Brahms compositions were different in style, but all recognized as masterpieces.

"It's magical that Brahms has brought us together," he added. "During rehearsals, I didn't need to talk much, although the musicians can speak English. We understood each other with simple hand gestures and through the music."

Gatti graduated as a composer and conductor from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. He is music director at both the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and the Orchestra Mozart.