Conductor looks forward to new role with Melbourne orchestra

In 2003, Chinese composer Chen Qigang wrote an orchestral piece based on a folk tune popular in northern China.

Entitled L'eloingement (Go to the West), the piece for a string orchestra tells the story of a large number of people who went abroad to make a living from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

Chen, who was based in Paris, composed the piece using a computer for the first time. And he used it to mark the 20th anniversary of his departure from China to study under French composer Olivier Messiaen in Paris.