CHEN Gang/HE Zhanhao
The "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto
ˇ An Inktroduction ˇRecordings Reviews
KONG Zhao Hui/Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China (Hugo)
XU Ke (erhu)/Philharmonic Orchestra of China (Stereophile)
Takako NISHIZAKI/Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Marco Polo)
Takako NISHIZAKI/Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (Naxos)
"Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto
KONG Zhao Hui violin ˇ The Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China ˇ conducted by HU Bing-XuHUGO HRP 775-2 [65'45"] full-price
With the "Yellow River" Piano Concerto and three violin pieces by MA Si-cong (Rondo No.1, Nostalgia, Dance Beyond the Frontier)
by Ong Yong Hui
Kong Zhao-Hui (now a member of the first violins in the SSO), takes us on a scenic tour through this Chinese-legend-inspired programme music. Hu Bing-Xu builds up a spacious atmosphere in which the music really meanders smoothly in even tempo, letting the solo violin enter as a dominant voice soaring over the orchestra. Kong Zhao-Hui plays the main theme with subtle slides, possessing a clean sound that is bright in tone, very comfortable in the high register and sounding more elegant then rough on lower strings. With these qualities he takes the introduction gracefully, and goes on to shine in the slow sections where he showcases his lyrical playing style.
Looking for the Score? If you are a resident in Singapore - hurry to the National Library at Stamford Road, they have several copies there in the section of Music Scores. If you reside outside Singapore, or wish to purchase an original copy for yourself, the publisher is Shanghai Music Press Limited, People's Republic of China. This may be tricky to find and I am equally helpless here. I suggest you approach a very large bookstore that carry Chinese Books and therefore have dealings with Chinese Publishers or go to your local Music Score Reseller for help. Good Luck. - Ng Yeuk Fan.
The interpretation could benefit from being more flexible though. Tempo is not much different in the fast chirpy section depicting the lovers at play while schooling together, and more energy and momentum gathered for the various climaxes would be very welcome. The match between the violin and the orchestra in Zhu's arranged marriage is more dramatic rather than tempestuous, an over-emphasis perhaps on the conflict of the two parts over a combined effort to illustrate the programme with discordant antagonism. But the soloist has to be praised for maintaining a consistency in style which holds together the interpretation strongly. He is very comfortable leading the accompaniment through the work, playing with an ease of control over the music's development that even inspires the orchestra.
And the Central Philharmonic Orchestra's playing is splendid! The brass section is capable of great forcefulness and the timpani roll at the end of the episode of Yingtai's death really roars out before subsiding smoothly and melting into silence. The harp should be singled out for special commendation here. In all its parts, the harp rings out clearly and is excellent in making itself prominent. In particular, in the finale when the couple metamorphorsizes into butterflies, the harp's totally magical shimmering ripples makes it easy to imagine the change taking place and sealing the couple's love together for eternity. The music celebrate the couple's union with a main theme reprisal in the coda, Kong Zhao-Hui's graceful expression of the theme taking the music to a gentle close.
"Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto
XU Ke erhu ˇ Philharmonic Orchestra of China ˇ conducted by Mak Ka-LokSTEREOPHILE SP3.1G [76'19"] full-price. Recorded July 1992.
With the "Yellow River" Piano Concerto
by Ong Yong Hui and Derek Lim
This version of the Concerto features the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed vertical fiddle, instead of the customary violin. The erhu's tone quality is quite different from western string instruments, sweet and expressive with a thick full-bodied timbre which resembles a cross between a cello and a double-reed instrument. The Concerto brings out the lyrical side of the instrument, which sounds quite comfortable in the work; after all this is an authentic folk instrument playing music which has distinct Chinese flavours!The erhu's more robust, full-toned sound makes the performance (sans doublestops, since it's probably not very practical on the instrument although theoretically possible) an equally appealing one. The Concerto on a whole sounds very virtuosic for the erhu whereas the piece hardly appears difficult to the violinist. The effect is probably like imagining Paganini's Caprices for the violin being played on the cello, which would sound awkward and 'clumsy'. The demands of the music on the erhu is considerable. While the erhu has existed in its present form for some time, many changes and advancements have been made in technique (bowing, fingering, special techniques) and the instrument itself. The instrument was formerly played on silk strings, with horse hair bow with no resin. The bow shape has been developed using examples from the western instruments. Techniques have also been re-thought and the erhu is on the whole a different instrument from what it used to sound.
The uniqueness of the erhu aside, the music is given strong expression attributable to performer Xu Ke's abundant use of slides in musical phrasing. (It's interesting to know that of the younger artists, Xu Ke is not known for being especially traditional). Elsewhere in western music, the almost exaggerated use of this effect may be distasteful, but in this case the Chinese musical idiom rightly demands such a playing style - the natural Chinese style - to effectively convey lyricism and sweetness in a folk manner. The violin version brings into the music a quasi fantasia mood, while the erhu retains its earthy qualities even when it soars along with the melody. The multiple-stopped chords written to augment the violin voice is not missed here at all as the broad tone of the erhu more than makes up for them. With the soloist's bold playing style, the climaxes are more rousing than the best performance on the violin, in my opinion. The erhu demands portamento, and this same portamento sounds strange on the violin. The erhu also has a slightly more earthy sound due to the qianjin being raised in order to accomodate for the increased range requirement.
Technically, this performance is not perfect. Testing passages in the score like the cross-string arppegios (balzato) on the erhu are slightly smudged and can sound somewhat unnatural. This slight is easily overlooked when the enthusiasm in the performance leaves no doubt that this must be one of the best renditions of this concerto. It is a fiery and temperamental reading of the score which provides great momentum where necessary. More importantly, this performance proves to be very convincing in presenting a harmonious whole out of this composition which is essentially pieced together from many sections with contrasting moods. Both exuberant happiness and melancholic sadness are conveyed equally well and also meld into each other despite the flexible tempi. This makes for a successful interpretation which truly won me over.
"Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto
TAKAKO NISHIZAKI violin. YIN CHENG ZONG piano
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kenneth Jean /Adrian Leaper.MARCO POLO 8.223488 [53'34] full-price.
With the "Yellow River" Piano Concerto.
by Ng Yeuk Fan
Nishizaki's violin sounds rather strangulated. Though it is not entirely out of place considering the moodiness of the subject matter, it is nevertheless a flaw, considering that a larger tonal palette is not available to her. I also feel that there are certain nuances which she cannot quite capture perfectly. There is a certain timing - not dissimilar with comic timing in theatre for example (a subject that cannot be described easily in simple words) that she somehow did not execute skilfully. The perfection of this Chinese subject matter depends greatly upon a certain innate philosophy of the performer while the perception of it depends a lot upon the sensitivity of the listener. Measure for measure, I think the orchestra did a better job in capturing the necessary intense Wayang nature in this music. This nature is perhaps definable as the overt suggestion of theatrically-effective drama through defined devices of Chinese opera (there being equivalent devices in Chinese music) - .This music is divided into distinct parts depicting images which are greatly detailed in the music. It is hence crucial to manage the parts as if one were telling a story in chapters. The conductor's job should be likened to that of a director of stage theatre - more so here than in any other non-programmatic music - balancing each segment and tipping the dramatic scales at just the right moments to release the raw power of Chinese Wayang. Kenneth Jean manages this relatively well but one feels that the music cannot take flight due to uneven playing from the orchestra members. Further, though Nishizaki is convincing in almost all the main parts of the music where she is sufficiently intimate with the luscious developments and the tender lyrical passages, this finesse loses an essential Chinese flavor at several crucial connecting points. The story breaks apart because dramatic intensity is lost somewhere - largely a result of misunderstood oriental timing. Not that it was too rushed nor too slow - but because it just wasn't just right. Maybe I am being a bit too vague. But if you are perceptive enough, you just might understand what I mean by being not just right or not quite there if you listen to this recording. Still, the vivid orchestral painting is worthy of an adventure and I am surprised by the way this Czecho-Slovakian orchestra turning in quite a bit of commendable Chinese playing here and there.
Sound is below average for a recording claiming to be digital. The orchestral sound can become rather muddled and the individual instruments blurred. I hear a block of sound rather than a well-spaced digital arena. The violin is well positioned and well recorded, though.
"Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto
TAKAKO NISHIZAKI violin ˇ Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra ˇ conducted by Fan Cheng-WuNAXOS 8.554334 [60'46"] budget-price
With Street Musician (arr. Yan Hui-chang), Love in Spring (Zhu Xiao Gu) and Parting of the Newly Wedded (Zhu Xiao Gu and Zhang Xiao Feng)
by Ong Yong Hui
Takako Nishizaki has recorded this concerto four times before this one, and her experience really shows up in this excellent version. Her interpretation is very fresh, and she clearly understands the work enough to be creative in playing with how the music can be phrased. The principal theme, as with the melodic parts throughout the works, is treated with much use of portamento to reflect the music's oriental origins, again showing her intimate knowledge with it.
This recording is definitely worth much more than its (budget) price. Takako Nishizaki demonstrates how flexible she can handle the score while infusing it with ethnic flavour. The music sparkles in her hands, and she produces a clear and penetrating tone which chirps happily in the section depicting the lovers at play. The music moves smoothly from the end of an episode to the start of another, each section closing gently but clearly separated from one another. There is neatness in the orchestra's accompaniment, with a wonderful meld between the soloist's line and the orchestra - the violin solo often coming out from the background so naturally as if it was a part of the orchestra! The spacious accoustics do obscure some nuances in the orchestral scoring though.
An attractive disc in all aspects - the notes included are very informative, pointing out how the sonata form of this concertante work fits in just nicely with the program and that there exists a second version of the Concerto, a revision by Chen Gang. The painting on the cover is very beautiful too, and nicely chosen.
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ˇ An Inktroduction ˇ
Ong Yong Hui has an obsession with racer bikes in one piece composite carbon fibre, aerobars attached and wheels with no spokes.
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397: 5.2.1999. up.24.6.1999 ŠOng Yong Hui, Ng Yeuk Fan
Readers' Comments
From: HH (Lee_Hui_Huan@parl.gov.sg / Tuesday, March 30, 1999 at 07:51:26)
Somehow, I feel "Butterfly Concerto" should be played by a female violinist, as it seems rather awkward to hear, and see, a macho man singing (with a violin) a love duet with the cello (Liangshanbo). I would like to recommend a recording by Dou Jun-Yi, a former First Violinist with SSO who won the China National "Butterfly KLovers" Concerto competition in the early 1980s. She really playted "her heart out" in this recording. Central Philharmonic Orchestra with Han Zhong-Jie conducting provided the excellent accompaniment. This is a DDD recording by Philips 416-678-2 PH in Beijng 1985.