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'The Butterfly Lovers Concerto' turns 50
By Nie Xin |
February 27, 2009, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
VIOLINIST Yu Lina, the most famous interpreter of "The Butterfly Lovers Concerto," will perform the iconic piece next Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the concerto.
The performance at Shanghai Concert Hall will also feature the nearly 70-year-old master playing Sibelius "Finlandia Op. 26," and Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64." She will cooperate with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Fifty years ago, Yu won instant acclaim with her debut of the masterpiece at age 18. She performed it in Shanghai as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary year of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
"When I first played this violin concerto, I was just a young girl. Now I am nearly 70 years old with more mature skills, more life experience and more understanding of music," says Yu. "I am sure I will bring the audience something different."
The violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers" or "Liang Zhu" was composed in 1958 by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. It's based on the Chinese legend about a tragic romance - in the end, the lovers are reunited as butterflies.
The 25-minute-long piece was first performed in 1959 by Yu Lina when she was a student in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The composers He and Chen were also students of the conservatory at that time.
When Yu finished, the audience rose and didn't stop applauding.
She played it again as an encore.
"It took 50 minutes of my whole show," recalls Yu. "It was the only time I played it twice in one concert. I was surprised by the audience's enthusiasm."
Now she is back.
Shanghai Concert Hall will hold an open discussion with Yu this Saturday. Yu will tell inside stories about the concerto and her own career and answer questions.
Date: March 7, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Rd E.
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
More information canbe found onwww.shanghaiconcerthall.org.
The performance at Shanghai Concert Hall will also feature the nearly 70-year-old master playing Sibelius "Finlandia Op. 26," and Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64." She will cooperate with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Fifty years ago, Yu won instant acclaim with her debut of the masterpiece at age 18. She performed it in Shanghai as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary year of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
"When I first played this violin concerto, I was just a young girl. Now I am nearly 70 years old with more mature skills, more life experience and more understanding of music," says Yu. "I am sure I will bring the audience something different."
The violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers" or "Liang Zhu" was composed in 1958 by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. It's based on the Chinese legend about a tragic romance - in the end, the lovers are reunited as butterflies.
The 25-minute-long piece was first performed in 1959 by Yu Lina when she was a student in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The composers He and Chen were also students of the conservatory at that time.
When Yu finished, the audience rose and didn't stop applauding.
She played it again as an encore.
"It took 50 minutes of my whole show," recalls Yu. "It was the only time I played it twice in one concert. I was surprised by the audience's enthusiasm."
Now she is back.
Shanghai Concert Hall will hold an open discussion with Yu this Saturday. Yu will tell inside stories about the concerto and her own career and answer questions.
Date: March 7, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Rd E.
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
More information canbe found onwww.shanghaiconcerthall.org.
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