Lecture in Brussels explores the creation of violin concerto 'Butterfly Lovers'

As part of its 10th-anniversary celebrations, the China Cultural Center in Brussels and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music jointly hosted a "China Stories" lecture entitled "The Violin Tells a Chinese Love Story: Exploring the Creation of 'Butterfly Lovers'."

In his keynote talk, Professor Liu Zhaolu, head of the Orchestral Department at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, traced the historical background, cross-cultural creative process and enduring success of the famous violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers." Often described as "China's Romeo and Juliet", the piece has, since its 1959 premiere, blended a beloved Chinese folk legend with Western symphonic form to become a timeless classic and a symbol of the "soul of Chinese symphonic music."

Liu recounted how two young students at the conservatory, namely He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, set out to merge melodies from the traditional Yue Opera with Western sonata form in the late 1950s. Their efforts not only solved the challenge of "nationalizing the violin music" but also produced a work that has inspired generations of Chinese to learn Western instruments.

Zhang Runyin and Zhu Wancheng, award-winning musicians from the conservatory, performed key passages on violin and piano, demonstrating how the work incorporates Chinese operatic techniques such as erhu-style slides and vibrato to express a uniquely Chinese vision of love.

The lecture concluded with a live rendition of the concerto's signature themes, drawing warm applause and leaving the audience deeply moved by both the music and the enduring story of devotion and ideals it conveys.