Chinese violinist Huang Mengla wrapped up his first tour on Monday in Lithuania with an impressive performance at St. Catherine's Church in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

Together with the famous Lithuanian string quartet Ciurlionis Quartet, Huang briefly took the audience to the baroque world of J. S. Bach and opened the door to the secrets of the "Devil's violinist." Huang's technique and his perfect unison with the quartet won him loud cheers and standing ovations. 

Asta, a project manager, was so carried away by the music that she became emotional. 

"There was a moment when I almost cried," she said, adding that she has listened to the music pretty much all her life. "For me, it was very special." 
 

Her husband, Satnam, had a similar reaction. 

"What I found is uplifting, sad and also very happy at the same time," he said. "You went through all the emotions as a human being in this concert."

Huang was born in the 1980s in Shanghai, took the top prize at the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition in Italy, where he also won the Renato De Barbieri Memorial award for the best interpretation of Paganini's caprices and the Mario Ruminelli Memorial award. 

As one of the most successful young Chinese violinists, Huang has been selling out solo performances around the world, luring throngs to outdoor concerts and topping classical sales charts with his albums. 

"I enjoyed the Lithuanian tour, especially performing in Vilnius, for this is the city where the great violinist Jascha Heifetz was born, for me just like a sort of pilgrimage," Huang said.

Organized by the Lithuanian Philharmonic Society and the Vilnius University Confucius Institute, the tour kicked off on July 18 with four performances in four cities, including the last one in Vilnius. 

(With input from Xinhua News Agency, China Daily)

(Cover image via VCG)