Gil Shaham , Violin
Lan Shui , Conductor
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (梁祝小提琴协奏曲), along with the Yellow River Piano Concerto, is one of the most famous orchestra works of Chinese music. It is an orchestral adaptation of an ancient legend, the Butterfly Lovers. Written for the western style orchestra, it features a solo violin played using some Chinese techniques.
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is written in traditional 5-note technique (pentatonic scale), it uses many Chinese melodies, chord structures and patterns. This gives the piece a distinctive “Chinese” sound, though it uses tonal harmonies.
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto was written in 1959 by two Chinese composers, He Zhanhao (何占豪, born 1933) and Chen Gang (陈钢, born 1935), while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.[1] The music did not attain popularity before the late 1970s, when China loosened its restrictions after the Cultural Revolution. Once released from censorship, it became an embodiment of China in transition. The work is a common feature in figure skating and in concert halls worldwide.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Lovers%27_Violin_Concerto)
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/Butterfly_Lovers_Violin_Concerto_(Chen,_Gang)