This concert is structured in four sections and a coda. Since it involves solos, duets (in different instrumental combinations) and a final trio, the division makes practical sense in facilitating entrances to and exits from the stage.

At the same time, however, each programme sequence provides us with food for thought in traversing the world of music, East and West. Perhaps “chapter” is a more appropriate word, each conveying a distinct character and narrative, interwoven with connections (in multiple directions) containing a larger story.

Although we begin in China, the two pieces—Ren Guang’s Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon and The Butterfly Lovers jointly composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao—came into being under very different circumstances, together offering a glimpse of modern Chinese history pre- and post-1949.

Ren Guang (1900–1941) was one of the earliest “music professionals” in China’s performing arts industry. In 1928, upon returning from studies in Paris, he was employed at the Shanghai head office of Pathé (the predecessor of EMI Records), fostering China’s homegrown musical development. Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon is more an adaptation (arranged by Ren and released in 1935 in a Chinese instrumental ensemble recording) than a composition per se, since the melody was already popular in the Guangdong region by the late Qing dynasty. However, the distinctive expanse of the opening phrase (spanning more than an octave) has made the composition a favourite for pianists, string quartets and orchestras alike. Ren joined the New Fourth Army during the anti-Japanese war and was among the martyrs murdered by Kuomintang troops during the Wannan Incident. His legacy, however, is still evident today: He was a mentor of Nie Er, who penned the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China, first recorded in the Pathé studio in May 1935.

Of all historic watersheds, the world premiere of The Butterfly Lovers Concerto composed by He Zhanhao (b. 1933) and Chen Gang (b. 1935) as part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the country’s founding was also an overnight sensation. Popular for years on national radio, this concerto was praised as a symbol of anti-feudal sentiments attesting to women “holding up half the sky.” Originally a concerto for violin, the piece has maintained its original grandeur through many adaptations for a wide range of solo instruments, but Yang’s arrangement for guitar and erhu preserves the beauty of the romantic tragedy through lyrical excerpts in a more chamber-like setting. The erhu, a far more “sensitive” instrument than the violin, is virtuosic yet as lyrically expressive as the human voice.

The literati (wenren) tradition is at the core of two solo guitar arrangements based on the deep influence of poetry in Chinese music.

A Moonlit Night on the Spring River first appeared in pipa tablature (under a different title) in the Ming dynasty, later becoming associated with an earlier poem by Zhang Ruoxu of the Tang Dynasty. Though continuing the imagery of the moon from the previous chapter, this piece (divided into ten short sections) depicts a subtle balance of nature and mankind: After the initial setting of drums echoing from the river tower, the moon’s reflection on the water is accompanied by a light breeze, with shadows cast from clouds hanging in the sky. The lull of fishing boats and gently lapping waves add to the idyll of fertile land and cultural sophistication of the Yangtze delta of yesteryear.

Sword Dance by Xu Changjun (b. 1957) is a showpiece originally for Chinese liuqin (a four-stringed pear-shaped lute, much like a pipa in miniature) likewise inspired by an ancient Tang dynasty poem, this time by Du Fu. Combining modern technique and using the guitar to create a wide array of timbral effects, this dance opens with a slow introduction dominated by a singular tremolo melody, followed by harmonic and contrapuntal complexities interspersed with vigorously strummed chords. At the end of Sword Dance, the tremolo melody resurfaces.

Whichever the culture, dance music is universal in exuding visceral energy with pulsating rhythms. Zambra Mora is a term in flamenco referring to an ancient dance form. “Zambra” in old Castillian implies a Moorish party with music and a loud racket. Flamenco guitarist composer Juan Martín (b. 1948) hails from Malaga and has built a long and successful career in England for many decades. There are quite a few similarities between Sword Dance and Zambra Mora, with contrasting sections unfolding in sequence lifting the listeners’ spirits. Yet, in the end, it is the elegance of a final “dance pose” that impresses the audience—those precious moments when we catch our breath, waiting with joyful expectation for the next dance. Indeed, the following piece, La Feria, is solidly grounded in the Spanish flamenco repertoire, its pulsating rhythms making it hard for the audience to sit still, its rousing finale capturing the joy of festive gatherings.

During intermission, please consider walking out of the venue to smell the sea breeze, breathing in that blend of Chinese and Mediterranean character that is Macao.

Two solo guitar arrangements transport us to far-flung regions. Among this evening’s Sketches of China,  Yao Dance originates from northern Guangdong province while Xinjiang Fantasia explores the great Northwest. With the establishment of New China in 1949, conservatory students were to encouraged to gather and incorporate folk materials as creative inspiration. In academic circles, Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881–1945) was widely praised, both for his fieldwork collecting folk songs and his folk-inspired modernist compositional language, cementing his artistic credentials as a man of the people.

Yao Dance, written by Liu Tieshan (b. 1923) and orchestrated by Mao Yuan (b. 1926), drew its initial inspiration from the long-drum dance of the Yao people (one of the 55 minority nationalities that make up China’s population) that Liu encountered during his musical fieldwork. Dating from the early 1950s, this work is now considered a Chinese orchestral classic performed worldwide. The opening rhythms, reminiscent of slow drum beats, transport us to a village dance festival. As the energy intensifies, we reliv the excitement of dances we encountered before intermission.

Xinjiang Fantasia, which comprises four popular folk songs, is penned by Yang Xuefei. Fantasias have been a staple in Western classical music since the 16th century, originally as lute or early keyboard adaptations of polyphonic vocal music to provide instrumentalists a way of making music at home. Yang Xuefei quotes four folk songs in this work, connecting them with inventive preludes and interludes to provide a colourful portrait of the people and an evocative landscape of deserts and mountain ranges.

The final chapter matches two plucked-string instruments that are distant cousins separated by geography and time, with each piece accentuating inherent similarities and contrasts between them. Singaporean composer Benjamin Lim Yi (b. 1984) arranges Three Variations on Plum Blossom, with its roots in ancient Chinese guqin tablature, though the original work was intended for the Chinese bamboo flute. It is most likely the first musical composition praising the plum blossom, which is revered for its purity and resilience in the face of winter frost. The earliest extant copy of this work dates from 1495 and has impressed many a musicologist for the formal variation technique applied. Apart from harmonics, the two instruments create a true “dialogue” that extends far beyond its original solo instrumentation.

Yang Xuefei’s arrangement of Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances draws heavily upon the two instruments’ plucked sonorities, reaching back to the original Transylvanian folk materials that the Hungarian composer collected before the First World War. The universality of dance music and folk melodies—as performed by guitar and pipa—is testament that music is the distillation of culture in sound. More often than not, we can find interconnections across continents. Bartók’s music employs modes and scales, some of which are close to Asia.

It is also propitious that the guitar-pipa duet presents a contemporary work specifically written for the combination. Benjamin Lim Yi’s recent Flamenco Dance pays homage to the iconic Spanish tradition, harking back to the Martín and Peña solo compositions in the programme. At the same time, this new work by an Asian composer reminds us how national styles meld together in our 21st century global village.

Yang Xuefei is one of the world’s finest guitarists and the first-ever Chinese musician to have launched an international career with this instrument. The UK music magazine, Classic FM, named Yang Xuefei as one of the best 100 musicians of our time, and in 2019 she was picked for the third time to be on the cover of the Classical Guitar Magazine. Now based in the UK, Yang is widely recognized as a soloist and chamber musician. Having performed in more than 50 countries in America, Europe and Asia, she collaborated with prestigious artists like tenor Ian Bostridge and played with some of the world’s leading orchestras. Since 2015, Yang has been the Artistic Director of Changsha International Guitar Festival.

Lu Yiwen is one of the most well-known erhu players in China. Currently teaching this instrument at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, over the years Yiwen has been distinguished with major awards, thanks to a refined technique and high artistic potential which have taken her to perform at major music scenes the world over. She has extensively collaborated with major orchestras, ensembles and soloists, performing in concerts highly praised in numerous countries, from the Antarctic, America and Europe to Asia and Africa. Combining instrumental and poetic tradition with contemporary sounds, Yiwen’s performing concerts often include her own compositions and transcriptions.

Sun Ying is a member of the Pipa Committee of China Nationalities Orchestra Society, guest performer with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and attended the Central Conservatory of Music from 2001. Having completed a postgraduate degree, since 2012 Sun has collaborated with the NCPA Orchestra and recorded numerous soundtracks for films and TV series. From 2016 to 2018, she has performed as a soloist at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, having recorded a pipa solo for a show conceived for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Besides a number of solo recitals held in Beijing, in recent years Sun toured South Africa, Finland, Australia and Japan, amongst many other countries, taking Chinese traditional music and the tunes of pipa to the world.