Conducting himself with great passion

Taiwan conductor Lu Shao-chia believes that music is a universal language that can connect people all over the world. The Berlin-based maestro tells Chen Nan why he loves working with mainland musicians.

Mahler wrote Symphony No 9 as a personal farewell to the world. A century later, Taiwan conductor Lu Shao-chia has paid tribute to the great composer by interpreting his masterpiece with an Oriental perspective.

"I have always believed that classical music is a mutual language between all people. It doesn't belong just to the West," Lu, 53, says. "So when I lead an orchestra to perform a Western classical work, I use the expression of the East, which is introverted yet powerful."