“East meets West” was the signature tagline of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, highlighting their distinctive approach among global orchestras. The “destination orchestra” embraced a diverse symphonic repertoire that blended Eastern and Western musical traditions. Notable examples include the six symphonies and four piano concertos of Alexander Tcherepnin, a Russian composer who significantly impacted musical life in China and Japan, as well as Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, performed in Cantonese. These performances were led by music director Lan Shui and recorded on the BIS label.

Yiwen Lu
© Photo courtesy of Yiwen Lu

With the rise of Western symphony orchestras in the People’s Republic of China, this theme has become increasingly prevalent. However, a reminder of the enduring connections between global cultures will be highlighted on 16th–17th August at Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore, with a pair of SSO concerts led by the renowned Chinese conductor Long Yu. The programme features two significant works: Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, with Karen Gomyo as soloist, and La voix de la souffrance (The Joy of Suffering) for erhu and orchestra by Chinese composer Chen Qigang. The erhu performance will be by noted Chinese musician Yiwen Lu. The rare combination of Western violin and traditional Chinese fiddle in one concert exemplifies the “West meets East” concept.

The erhu (二胡) is a two-stringed Chinese fiddle played with the instrument resting on the lap. As part of the huqin (胡琴) family, it has a range similar to that of the Western violin but lacks a fingerboard. Maintaining precise intonation is challenging; a wavering tone and portamenti are characteristic. The bow’s sliding and slurring between strings give the erhu its expressive qualities, often likened to the human voice. “I would say that violin techniques are more difficult for erhu players to achieve on their instrument,” Lu explains in a video call from her home in Shanghai.

Born in Jiangsu province before moving to Shanghai, Yiwen Lu first picked up the erhu at the age of six. Although she was not raised in a musical family, music was a familiar presence at home, with her father playing the erhu recreationally. Despite her parents’ expectations for her to pursue dance, Lu had other aspirations. After winning first prize in a children’s music competition, she was admitted to the primary school division of the Shanghai Conservatory at nine.

Lu studied under various teachers, eventually receiving lessons from the late legendary erhu master Min Huifen. Her career rapidly advanced, earning her numerous awards and national recognition. Today, she is one of China’s most esteemed erhu virtuosi, holding a teaching position at her alma mater and serving as a council member of the National Bowed Stringed Instruments Committee under the China Musicians Association.

The erhu remains a central element of traditional Chinese music, primarily passed down orally over the centuries, as well as in compositions by contemporary Chinese composers. Its inclusion in Western symphonic music is a more recent development, with Western classical works becoming known in China from the early 20th century.

Lu performs The Deep Night: a traditional melody from Beijing opera.

Lu reflects on the limited repertoire available for the erhu, noting that she has performed popular violin and cello works transcribed for her instrument, such as Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs, Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois, Paganini’s Caprices, and pieces by Massenet and Saint-Saëns. Even the highly popular Butterfly Lovers Concerto, composed in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, was originally written for Western violin and symphony orchestra. This piece, along with Chen Gang’s Sunshine Over Tashkurgan, a Central Asian counterpart to Ravel’s Tzigane, has been adapted for erhu and Chinese orchestras.

Lu is enthusiastic about the addition of a significant new work to the erhu repertoire: Chen Qigang’s La voix de la souffrance. Chen, who divides his time between France and China, was the last student of Olivier Messiaen, studying composition privately from 1984 to 1988. His music, often bearing French titles, blends 20th-century French influences with a distinct Chinese character.

Originally composed for violin in 2017 and premiered by Maxim Vengerov with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the concerto was selected as a mandatory piece for finalists in the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition in 2018. Having known Chen personally for the past four years, Lu premiered the erhu transcription of this concerto, reworked by Chen himself, and also performed it in the American premiere and four subsequent performances with the New York Philharmonic in 2023.

Lu performs Chen Qigang’s Reflets d’un temps disparu for erhu and orchestra.

La voix de la souffrance translates as The Joy of Suffering, but its Chinese title, Bei Xi Tong Yuan (悲喜同源), conveys a different meaning: sorrow and happiness emanate from the same source. This concept reflects a quintessentially Chinese duality, the idea that sorrow and happiness are inseparable. “Suffering and joy are two sides of the same experience. Without one, the other could not exist,” Chen has said.

The concerto is structured as a fantasy in ten continuous sections, inspired by the ancient Chinese guqin melody Yangguang Sandie (陽關三疊). The melody, with words from Tang dynasty poet Wang Wei (whose poetry was also used by Mahler in Das Lied von der Erde), is an ode of farewell to a friend journeying beyond the Yangguang Pass, symbolising a journey into the unknown.

Personal tragedy has influenced this work: Chen Qigang’s only son Yuli, a composer himself, died in a car accident in 2012 at the age of 29. Yuli’s loss brought profound silence and reflection for Chen, and this catharsis is evident in the music, with Yangguang Sandie introduced by the solo erhu at the concerto’s beginning.

“The sadness is not obvious at first,” Lu notes, “but the music soon grows on you.” The first six sections are titled Despoir (Despair), Solitaire (Solitary), Divinement solitaire (Divinely Alone), Excité par des illusions (Thrilled by Illusions), Soulagement mélancolique (Melancholic Relief), and La beauté de la souffrance (The Beauty of Suffering), leading to a frenzied climax described by Chen as “waves of emotions.” The final section, Un lueur de lumière (A Glimmer of Light), features the erhu alone as the music gently fades. “The erhu, being close to the human voice, is ideal for expressing human emotions, especially sorrow,” Lu adds.

Lu performs Kreisler’s Liebeslied with the NCPAO Bridge Quartet.

Lu is optimistic about the potential for more works featuring the erhu in Western orchestral repertoire. She has already performed Chen Qigang’s Reflet d’un temps disparu on the erhu, a piece originally composed for cello and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma in 1998. The opportunities for similar works by Chen and other Chinese composers appear promising. Meanwhile, Lu plans to explore the Western canon further for erhu repertoire. “How does Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto on erhu sound to you?” she muses.


Yiwen Lu performs Qigang Chen with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on 16th–17th August at Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore.

This article was sponsored by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.