A Panorama of Hunan, Central Hall, Westminster, London, 11 September 2026
From Edinburgh to Westminster
My own connection with A Panorama of Hunan began before the concert arrived in London.
I was privileged to see Hibiscus and the Thistle – A Panorama of Hunan at the Signet Library in Edinburgh during the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was a memorable performance in one of Edinburgh's most beautiful historic buildings, and the more intimate surroundings of the Signet Library suited the music remarkably well.
The production went on to receive five-star reviews, but what stayed with me personally was the combination of traditional Chinese music, musicianship and presentation. There was something genuinely different about it, and I remember leaving the Signet Library feeling that I had witnessed much more than another Fringe performance.
That made being at Central Hall Westminster on 11 September 2026 particularly special.
Copyright © Daren Frankish
A little over a year later, I was now seeing and photographing the next chapter of the same musical journey, this time on a considerably larger stage in the heart of London.
The difference in scale was striking. The intimacy of the Signet Library had been replaced by the grandeur of Central Hall Westminster, its enormous organ and sweeping auditorium providing a spectacular backdrop. Yet the character of the production that I remembered from Edinburgh was still very much there.
For me, that connection between the two performances made the London concert more personal. I wasn't discovering A Panorama of Hunan for the first time; I was seeing how it had developed.
From its international debut at the United Nations in 2024, through its acclaimed appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025, and now to this major London performance in 2026, A Panorama of Hunan has continued to grow while retaining the cultural identity at the heart of the production.
Having been privileged to witness it at the Signet Library in Edinburgh and then to photograph it at Central Hall Westminster, I have effectively been able to follow part of that journey myself.
And perhaps that is what I will remember most about the London concert. It wasn't simply another performance to photograph. It felt like returning to something I had first encountered in Edinburgh and seeing just how far it had travelled.
The Journey Continues
Following its London performance, A Panorama of Hunan continues its journey through the UK. On Tuesday 15 September 2026, the musicians will perform at Cedars Hall in Wells, Somerset, from 7.30pm to 9.00pm, bringing the distinctive sounds of Hunan to a more intimate concert setting.
The tour also visits Bristol, with a performance at the acoustically renowned St George's Bristol. It marks another chapter in a remarkable international journey that has taken the production from the United Nations, through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Central Hall Westminster, and now to audiences across the UK.
By Daren Frankish
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