Butterfly Lovers
Has anybody here heard the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto? I was wondering what you guys thought of it.
Replies (37)
didn't someone ask the same question last year? i remember there was a big discusson about this and vanessa mae's recording of it.
The butterfly lovers o_O
In fact I recently just got a copy of it. It's written by a chinese composer, I believe. Me? It sounds nice and sweet played, but I'm really not in to that type of stuff. I prefer rondos and pretissimo tempo pieces :P. If you like slow lullaby like pieces, then its the one for you.
I read an interview with gil shaham once and he likes it alot
ahhhahaha
I have it in my violinconcertolist on my log: http://www.violinist.com/blog/jenohubay down under
Cd 62) The Butterfly lovers violinconcerto of Chen Gang by Takako Nishizaki, Naxos 8.557348
And from the same composer: Cd 69) CHEN Gang violinconcerto “Wang Zhaojun” by Takako Nishizaki, Macro Polo 8.223908
Takako Nishizaki, partner of the boss of Naxos made a lot of world premiere recordings of violinconcerto’s, like Louis Kaufman and Vilmos Szabadi. Another Chinese violinconcerto of the composer A Ke Jian she also made: Cd 61) Violinconcerto “Hung Hu”van A Ke Jian, by Takako Nishizaki, Marco Polo 8.223902
I like the Butterfly lovers, like the other 2 Chinese violinconcerto’s and perhaps Hung Hu is the best, but I have not heard them recently. But they are typically Chinese and it seems that you are eating in a Chinese restaurant with a fiddler under your nose just like in Hungary but another violinstyle. On 17 oktober Butterfly Lovers will be played in Amsterdam Concertgebouw in the Netherlands and I will hear it.
More about it you can read after typing “Vanessa Mae butterfly lovers “ in google:
http://www.vanessamae.com/butterfly.shtml
It is a lovely, haunting, melancholy piece. Ms Mae does not play it properly.
Cheesy Ha! I agree
(To those who enjoy the piece disregard this post)=P
There was an interesting information on the board found by Clint about composing of this Concerto.
http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=6499
As to the concerto being cheesy, I do agree that at times it's over the top, though it is very beautiful (I love that violin duet with the cello). And it's very popular among the Chinese culture; everyone knows it. And the good thing is that it's not overly difficult, I suppose it's as diffcult as the Bruch.
Yeah it can be a bit cheesy but that's with all Chinese compositions IMO (I'm Chinese so I can say that =P) but all in all, I think it's beautiful. It's the only Chinese composition I like and stand listening to being played on a violin. I'll need to hear Mae's recording again to make up my mind but Nishizaki's done a pretty good job.
I recommend Li Siqing's (sp?) recording. I never really like Nishizaki's, although maybe the one I've heard wasn't her best (I think she recorded it five times...)
Hmmm, I'm surprised that so many people have even heard of it. Has anybody heard the Ohguri concerto? I asked about the music earlier, but I wanted to know if anybody had heard to the piece itself.
I also liked the Butterfly, especially the beginning, but I don't know how much I like it. Would it be appropriate to try and compete with that, or should I stick with one of the standard romantic concertos? I also was thinking about a Vivaldi...
I'd say stick to the 'usual suspects' =)
*Sigh*, that Vivaldi was sooo beautiful, if a little less "exciting", but I know that at the High School level it won't really be appreciated anyway...*cries*
^_^
I love those "`usual suspectes'" equally, if not more, I guess, so it's not any sacrifice :-D
I know someone that competed with it for a concerto competition and for solo&ensemble and they won both. I think it's an interesting piece that if played well could work in your favor because it is so unique in America.
You may find it more interesting if you know the whole story of Butterfly Lovers, with which the concerto goes along the storyline.
Joseph Galamba. I like people who play rarities. So you better can Choose Butterfly Lovers than Vivaldi if you hestitate. Perhaps after some time it will be a repertoirepiece like 1th Bruch, Brahms, But. Lovers, Mendelssohn in e, because YOU choose this piece instead of Vivaldi (please if you nevertheless choose that no 4 seasons!!, he had written more)
The update on how to obtain the sheet music in the U.S.
Clint
Proof Purrfect, Inc.
Clinton F. Nieweg
Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Librarian (Ret.)
(research for Conductors and Librarians)
proofferr@yahoo.com
1.The Violin/Piano reduction is for sale
2.The Full conductor score is for sale
Order these from Johnson Strings a USA dealer
http://www.johnson-inst.com/catalog/index.htm
11 John Street - Newton Centre, MA 02459, 617-964-0954, 800-359-9351
[This dealer, as can any other dealer, will import the violin/piano edition and the full score.]
1.Butterfly Lovers Concerto; Chen/He [Violin/Piano] (the publication notes are in Chinese) about $14.00 The violin part and the piano part are both computer engraved.
2.The Full Score is available for sale at about $24.00. This must also be imported.
3.The orchestra parts are only on rental(not for sale) from the publisher HLH. These must be ordered by an orchestra librarian and the rental fee must be paid in advance.
Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao (a.k.a. Ho Zhanhao) and Chen Gang (a.k.a. Chen Kung [Kang]). [1959] dur 27'
(Chinese Title= Liang Zhu Xiao Ti Qin Xie Zou Qu)
[also listed as Liang Shan-Bo and Zhu Ying-Tai]
The instrumentation is: 2-2-2-2 - 4-2-3-0 - timp, 3 perc (Gu Ban,Cym,Tam-tam), hp, piano, strings, solo Violin (The percussion includes a part for Gu Ban; two Chinese wooden clappers which can be substituted by playing on woodblocks)
HLH International
Level 11 * Cyberport 1
100 Cyberport Road
Hong Kong SAR
Tel: 852-2760 7818 + Fax: 852-2760 1962
E-Mail: Klaus.Heymann@Naxos.Com
[CEO Naxos Records]
Yeah, I agree that it can be a bit cheesey at times, but I absolutely love the rondo section of it! It sounds awesome. The piece itself isn't diffcult... It's just the style and expression that's hard. The chinese portemento is so... different. By the way, exactly how many movements does it have? The numbers on the piece I have don't make sense... It can't ppossibly have... 26? It doesn't help that I can't read most of the little notes on the sside because they're in chinese either.
And what level difficulty would you rate it (out of 6, 6 being the hardest)? :P
Hi Linda,
Umm just looking at the music now, it's just one movement but it has at least 10 different sections in the whole piece, so quite unlike the usual 3-movement concertos of Western composers. The sections are marked by the double bar line in the last bar of the previous section. They all have different time and key signatures and tempo.
It's not too difficult but it's got all sorts of different techniques: double stops, glissandos, scale runs, chords, weird string crossings, real high notes and lots of sliding up and down the finger board to create the "crying" effect in some parts. I give it a 4.5 to 5 out of 6. =)
(Wish someone can teach me this piece...)
:P I agree Clarissa, the grace notes that aren't really grace notes and the shifts that you actually have to hear are difficult because I'm not used to playing them like that. I still don't really get how to "cry".
My teacher decided to play this concerto when he asked me if I wanted to play something in a totally different style. When I said okay, he went online and ordered this piece while telling me that he hadn't taught it in 10YEARS! It's a interesting concerto.
Information as of 10/2005: change of contact at HNH for renting the orchestra parts.
-----Original Message-----
From: Edith Lei [mailto:Edith.Lei@naxos.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 11:06 PM
Thank you for your message. As far as we know, HNH International owns the rights to this piece of music, with authorization from the composers.
Both full score and orchestral parts can be rented from HNH International. Interested parties can contact me at:
Edith Lei,
Naxos Digital Services,
Level 11, Cyberport 1, 100 Cyberport Road,
Hong Kong
Telephone: (852) 2760-7818
Fax: (852) 2989-9181
Email: Edith.Lei@Naxos.com
Recently we rented the music to Buffalo Philharmonic, La Mirada Symphony, The Federal Way Symphony, Singapore Symphony (they toured the programme with Gil Shaham), Empire State Youth Orchestra, Cotati Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra.
Thank you.
Edith Lei
Managing Director
Naxos Digital Services
Its not cheesy at all if you know the story of the concerto. Its a very sad story abt Liang Shangbo and Zhu Yingtai who couldn't get together because Zhu's father wanted her to marry to a rich family and both of them commited suicide in the end by jumping into their own graves. They later transform into butterflies so they could be together. The concerto is divided into several sections according to the storyline, 'meeting in school', 'jumping into graves', 'transforming into butterfly' etc.
The shifts and slides written are actually meant to imitate the chinese instrument called erhu. The players of erhu emphasizes more on 'taste' or the general ambience rather than clarity of each note. So to play this concerto well, you need to really listen to the erhu version, which I believe was written for. Then you can understand more on how to do the portementos and shifts. If not, it can sound really bad.
Just a correction, the Butterfly is originally written for Violin and Orchestra, not erhu. However, it is helpful to listen to other Chinese instruments playing it to get a sense of the style.
Quote: "Learn To Google"...
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Thanks, Jim...you made me laugh.
I think the actual theme was originally written for chinese instruments, for the "orchestra" in the chinese opera, or so-called Peking-Opera. While Chen and Ho wrote a violin concerto-like version of it.
Just 3 hours ago I heard the violinconcerto the Butterfly Lovers in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam at the end of the Chinese festival in Amsterdam. It is written by He Zhanzao/Chen Gang born in 1933/1935 and the Butterfly Lovers (written in 1959) in Chinese is Liang Shanbo yu Zhu Yingtai. It was played by the Chinese National Orchestra. Conductor was Liu Yunzhi and soloist Liu Yunzhi. It was big fun to hear such a rarity, which I know from Takako Nischizaki from Naxos on cd, in a concerthall and is was played quite well.
I like it.
The story behind it is lovely... though it does get a bit weird at points. I mean, if you were a guy and you practically lived with a girl pretending to be a man for three years, you would have to be pretty slow not to notice the truth. That's just my opinion.
The violin part is amazing. Amazing. Scary if you're bad with high notes =P, but amazing. It's really deep and emotional and happy and joyful and sad and angry at the same time. I give the composer a lot of credit.
Yeah another thing, my violin teacher is absolutely in love with this piece and claims that Shakesphere copied off of the storyline for Romeo And Julliet. I don't know if it's true and I'm too lazy to find out the dates the piece was created.
So when youre reading the storyline, DONT think too deeply and wonder how the guy just dies or how the grave suddenly opens. xD Afterall, it is ficticious. I think. Ugh. I stink with history, don't I?
I am pleased to inform you that China Records have admitted that they have no rights to the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and they would withdraw any and all claims to this composition and remove the score rental notice from their website.
HNH International Limited (Naxos’ parent company) and Universal Music Publishing are the legitimate joint publisher of this work. Any enquires on this composition should be sent to me at the following address and email address:
Edith Lei
Managing Director
Naxos Digital Services Ltd.
Level 11, Cyberport 1, 100 Cyberport Road, Hong Kong
Telephone: (852) 2760-7818
Fax: (852) 2989-9181
Email address: Edith.Lei@Naxos.com
Has anyone heard Augustin Dumay last september ? He played the Butterfly Lovers at Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony Hall with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra conducted by Long Yu. I loved the Boston performance, the acoustic was really something, Mr Dumay was in a great shape and he played Ravel - Tsigane as an uncredible encore. There was a good critic in the Boston Globe with comments on the piece.
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=hVwaPb4xyg0
This is the best Butterfly Lovers recording found in youtube.
Chinese musician Lu Si-qing play on a Stradivarius violin ( Henryk Wieniawski), Lu praised by the Western media as "a great talent and an unparalleled violinist", is the first Asian to have won a gold medal in the International Paganini Violin Competition in Italy in 1987. Lu won the honor at the remarkably early age of 17.
At age eight, he was accepted at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and became the youngest person to study there.
Lu is a master of traditional violin playing techniques, who brings oriental spirit to his playing. Lu blends elements of simplicity, majesty, placidity, and sophistication into this piece.
This concerto was composed by two College Students Chen Gang and He Zhanhao in 1960s
I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but....
Gil Shaham's recording is so beautiful too!
Lu and Shaham both play beautifully, but neither can convince me that this is a great concerto. Something corny/cheesy about the orchestration. Too cheetos-y?
It is a Chinese Love Story Music, and all Chinese love it and appreciate it.
The orchestra might not be good, but sure it is a great concerto!
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September 5, 2005 at 08:45 PM · learn to google