Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto

[2] The piece draws inspiration from Yue Opera for its melodies, chord structures, and patterns, and attempts to imitate the playing techniques of Chinese musical instruments, including the Erhu and Pipa.

[7] The composition project began as the result of an activity in 1958 at the conservatory, where students were tasked with learning traditional Chinese works in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

[9] The premiere of the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto took place at the Shanghai Music and Dance Festival on May 27, 1959, featuring 18-year-old violinist Yu Lina, as part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary year of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

[10] The concerto was banned during the Cultural Revolution, as fellow composers and political figures associated the folktale with anti-Communist themes that exalted the bourgeoisie, further promoting counter-revolutionary messages such as individual liberation and the supremacy of love.

[10] Today, the concerto is widely referred to as "our symphony" in China, as the piece blends Western orchestra form with Chinese folklore, musical tradition, and national pride.

[4] A recording of the work with Gil Shaham as the violin soloist that is conducted by Lan Shui leading the Singapore Symphony Orchestra is heard often on radio stations such as WSMR (FM), Sarasota Manatee Classical.

On the road to Hangzhou for her studies, Zhu (disguised as a man) meets Liang for the first time; a cello solo intertwines with the violin, bringing a new, but still melodious theme and modulating to D major.

As the first buds of love begin to blossom, a short violin cadenza using mostly the G-pentatonic scale expresses Zhu's joy of her and Liang's oath of fraternity.

The orchestra begins the next section in E major, the violin entering with a fast and jovial melody, representing Zhu and Liang's busy three years of school.

[15] This concerto is composed for solo violin, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion (gu ban, cymbal, tam-tam), harp, piano, and strings.