Chinese tradition meets Western myth in captivating concert

A special concert entitled "Jiu Ge – Eros Athanatos" was held in Beijing on Tuesday night, featuring a new interpretation of the classic work "Nine Songs" by ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan, with "Eros" in the title referring to a fantasy concerto on the theme of the mythical Greek god of love.

The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its music director Huang Yi, performed the two works "Jiu Ge" and "Eros Athanatos."

"Jiu Ge" or literally "Nine Songs," a concerto for erhu and orchestra created especially for this year's Beijing Music Festival, runs for around 50 minutes – setting a new precedent for erhu concertos.

Lu Yiwen, the erhu soloist for the concert, described the experience as "painful yet joyful.” She noted that the length of the piece presented a significant physical and endurance challenge for an erhu player, but she enjoyed the experience.“The erhu resonates and contrasts beautifully with the orchestra, blending seamlessly while evoking strong visual imagery," she added.

Throughout the different movements, specific Western instruments were paired with mythological characters to create vivid musical representations of ancient Chinese deities in "Jiu Ge" like the Cloud God, the Lord of River Xiang, the God of the Sun, and the Great Lord of Fate. Each character's role and story were reflected in the unique sound of different musical instruments.

The concert also featured "Eros Athanatos," a fantasy concerto for cello, piano, and orchestra, composed by French-Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon. Infused with rich French color, the work serves as a lyrical meditation on life.  

“'Eros Athanatos' provides a romantic parallel to the ancient Chinese gods depicted in 'Jiu Ge.' And the concert highlights the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures – an enduring theme of the Beijing Music Festival, now in its 27th year,”said festival founder Yu Long.