Throughout the 20^th century, two western musical instruments came to dominate China’s often turbulent cultural landscape: the Piano and the Violin. The violin and its antecedents had been known in China since the 17^th century, brought there by the Jesuit missionaries. However, along with the other western “novelties” provided by the priests, these instruments were never heard outside the Forbidden City.

It was not until the mid-19^th century, along with the treaty ports and concession territories that violins were heard publicly and much later before a Chinese would even play the violin. The first to do so was Tan Shuzhen, who was the first Chinese recruited by conductor Mario Paci to join the orchestra in colonial Shanghai. With Tan Shuzhen, the glass ceiling was shattered and the violin entered Chinese musical culture for all time. Prior to the introduction of the western violin, China has its own tradition of bowed string instruments in the form of the erhu family. The erhu is a two-string knee fiddle and exists in numerous regional variants. Owing to their similar ranges, the Erhu and the Violin were often regarded as interchangeable as a solo instrument and many compositions exist in parallel editions for both instruments. Even the famous “Butterfly Lovers” Concerto FIRST existed as an Erhu Concerto!

Our current program features a selection of some of the most popular Chinese violin encores. Each piece was been inspired by the rich musical traditions of China’s ethnic minorities, whether as direct transcriptions (the four Taiwanese folk songs arranged by Liu Zhuang and Under the Silver Moonlight), or through quoting actual folk songs (Spring Celebration, Grassland Madrigal, Fisherman's Festival Song) or newly composed based on folk materials (Song of Nostalgia, Sunlight over Tashikugan, In a Faraway Land, Why the Flowers are so Red), these pieces provide tantalizing glimpses into China’s colorful musical tapestry.

 “Nostalgia” marks the Rhymoi Music debut of internationally-acclaimed young violinist, Siqing. Lu Hailed as a prodigy from the age of seven, Siqing Lu has gone on to achieve tremendous critical success. From his being personally selected to apprentice with the great Yehudi Menuhin to his becoming the first Chinese violinist to be sponsored by the Stradivari Society of Chicago, Siqing Lu has commanded global recognition wherever he performs. Throughout his career, Siqing Lu has enjoyed a long identification with the violins crafted by the Master of Cremona – Antonio Stradivari. And for his Rhymoi debut, he has chosen to perform on a priceless Stradivari instrument graciously loaned to him by the Chi-Mei Museum of Taiwan.

Both the ageless beauty of Stradivari’s craftsmanship and Siqing Lu impeccable performances have been masterfully engineered by China’s Wizard of Sound, Li Xiaopei at the state-of-the-art facilities of CCTV’s 480 Sq. Meter Recording Studio.

The result? A perfect symbiosis of East and West!

The management and staff of Rhymoi Music hope that this journey into the riches of China’s colorful violin music will transport you to far away lands, and even provide a relaxing soundtrack for your own dreams and nostalgia.