When asked of violinist Qing Li, a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra member and recitalist, which piece on any given classical program most appeals to her, the answer comes by way of an interesting analogy.
“Musical selections are like going out for a wonderful five-course dinner,” she said. “I can’t say which [course] is better, as each one satisfies different palates.”
And in her much-anticipated recital this Sunday at An die Musik, the bill of fare will indeed satisfy — if not totally enchant — the musical gourmand. Li, accompanied by internationally acclaimed pianist Enrico Elisi, will present an afternoon of chamber music duets that will include Mozart’s Piano and Violin Sonata in B flat major both works, K.378 and K.454, separated by Schubert’s Duo for Piano and Violin in A Major, Opus 162.
“The second half of the program is very interesting, ‘The Butterfly Lovers Concerto for Violin,’ ” Li said.
Written in the mid-20th century for orchestra and violin by Chinese composers Zhanhao He and Gang Chang, the piece is not without its controversy.
Chronicling the relationship and ultimate rebellion of fictitious, star-crossed lovers Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, who are the Butterfly Lovers, the piece is a Chinese version of “Romeo and Juliet.” Praised at its premier as “a breakthrough in China’s symphonic music,” it was later condemned during China’s Cultural Revolution for its Western-style composition and feudal Chinese inspiration.
Though the piece does have many elements of Chinese folk tunes and Peking opera melodies, it is a concerto breakthrough of non-Eastern, programmatic music.
Three sections speak to three episodes in the lives of young lovers protesting arranged marriages to other suitors, the act alone a rebellion of revered Chinese culture.
“In the final episode, called ‘Transfiguration,’ the lovers are actually turned into butterflies,” said Li, “It’s very emotional, more like the [Western] romantic works.”
Li’s piano accompaniment for the concerto is Peabody doctoral candidate Sheng Yuan Kuan, who remarks on the piece’s similarity to the romantic works of Chopin.
“A main theme is dominant here,” Kuan said. “Its clear structure is easy for the audience to follow.”
Rarely heard in Western musical worlds, “The Butterfly Lovers Concerto” is a delightful complement to Mozart and Schubert — perhaps that “fifth course” Li alluded to.
IF YOU GO
Qing Li and Enrico Elisi present Violin and Piano Duo Recital
Venue: An die Musik LIVE
409 North Charles St., Baltimore
When: Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Info.: 410-385-2638; www.andiemusiklive.com
