Composer: Chen Gang, He Zhanhao, Niccolò Paganini
Performer: Chloe Chua
Orchestra: Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Rodolfo Barráez, Mario Venzago
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Pentatone
Catalogue: PTC5187230
Release: 2024
Size: 1.42 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Gang, Zhanhao: Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
01. I. Adagio cantabile
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Adagio assai doloroso
04. IV. Pesante – Più mosso – Duramente
05. V. Lagrimoso
06. VI. Presto resoluto
07. VII. Adagio cantabile
08. Gang: Sunshine Over Tashkurgan
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6
09. I. Allegro maestoso
10. II. Adagio
11. III. Allegro spiritoso
Rising star violinist Chloe Chua presents a recording combining Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto with Niccolo Paganini’s First Violin Concerto, performed together with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Rodolfo Barraez and Mario Venzago. The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto was written in 1959, and inspired by a tale often called the Romeo & Juliet of ancient China. Chen and He deftly combine a Western classical idiom with elements from Chinese opera, such as grace notes and portamento effects, and the work has become one of the most famous and acclaimed pieces of Chinese classical music. This album also features an interpretation of Chen Gang’s Sunshine over Tashkurgan, which adds Central-Asian maqam to the stylistic palette. The programme concludes with Paganini’s First Violin Concerto, musically inspired by Rossinian bel canto. The three works share a richness of melodic invention and orchestral colours, as well as breathtaking virtuosic demands for the soloist. The solo parts are in excellent hands with Chloe Chua, who admires the steadfast love and perseverance of the Butterfly Lovers and feels fully at home in these evocative and exhilarating masterpieces. Chloe Chua and the Singapore Symphony return to PENTATONE after their acclaimed recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Locatelli’s Labirinto armonico (2023).