Search - Zhan-hao / Chen, Gang He, Huichang Yan, Xiaogu Zhu :: The Butterfly Lovers

Elegant, charming, and fine.

glengariffe | 02/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When compared to the version on the Marco Polo label, this performance of the famous Chinese programmatic concerto comes in a close second, even with the same solo violinist, Takako Nishizaki, and with the first conductor of the work. However, by itself, it is a very engaging performance. Fan Chengwu uses rubato throughout the piece to pull out the strong emotions. However, using it at the beginning with the already very sweet Chinese melody, itself already emotional, might have been a bit more distracting than helpful. The colors here are heard much more brightly than during the performance on the Marco Polo label, but some of it is a bit distracting, such as with the percussions, when not balanced totally. Chengwu's use of rubato during the development of the concerto, however, is very effective, and the ending, in contrast, is delicately moving. The other three pieces on here are just as beautiful, although, without doubt, not in the same epic proportion as the "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto. The characteristics that make the "Butterfly Lovers" seem to be broken down and each condensed into the other pieces. The theme for "Love in Spring" is absolutely beautiful. "Street Musician" is graceful, while "Parting of the Newly Wedded" is both urgent and majestic. At a great price, this Naxos recording is a steal."

The Butterfly Lovers Vin Con is the best of all in the CD.

glengariffe | 01/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is a Chinese folk song that relates two legendary lovers which is famous in the southern parts of China. It is very good and I would recommand it to anyone that is interest in Chinese music."

As close to the 1954 original as possible.

Gene P. Louie | Seattle | 08/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS was China's greatest classical violin concerto. Written and performed in 1954, the music was recorded on a vinyl record on one side with YOUTH on the other side.



China's Great Leap Forward and Great Cultural Revolution destroyed copies of the original recording. Only a few survived. Luckily I preserved the two songs on cassette tape before the record was destroyed in a Texas flood following a hurricane.



Nothing compared with the original despite the "pops," scratches, and other distortions that were inherent in vinyl records. All other interpretations that came afterwards were not the same.



On the other hand, this particular CD version of THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS comes close for good reasons. Musicians from the 1954 Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra were gathered for the 1992 studio recording. Unfortunately, the original violinist was absent. So, an international contest was organized to seek out the replacement. Takako Nishizaki won.



The only difference between the original 1954 version and the newer 1992 recording was a short two second segment. Nishizaki interpretation was a bit faster and brighter. This may not be a distraction for many, but for a purist like me, it was noticeable."