In November 2023, crossover violin virtuoso David Garrett launched his debut China concert tour themed ICONIC Retrospective. Featuring innovative arrangements combining violin and guitar, the tour paid tribute to the Golden Age of 20th-century violin music and bridged young audiences with classical music.

Garrett began violin lessons at age four and became DG’s youngest signed recording artist at 13. A former pupil of Itzhak Perlman and an alumnus of Juilliard School, he excels at blending classical, rock and film soundtrack styles. Prior to the tour, he staged his maiden Chinese performance at Today at Apple in Beijing, playing duets alongside guitarist Frank Van der Heijden and sharing behind-the-scenes stories of his album production.

Centered around his 2022 Deutsche Grammophon studio album Iconic with 26 rearranged tracks, the record prioritizes melodic appeal over flashy technical feats, reviving overlooked short masterpieces from the 1920s and 1930s as a homage to legendary violinists including Jascha Heifetz and Yehudi Menuhin. The tour covered seven Chinese cities: Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Wuhan throughout November. Physical CDs of the album went on sale across mainland China on November 7, delivering an immersive feast of soul-stirring music to Chinese listeners.