"Butterfly Lovers" is a colorful, lyrical and moving symphonic work with a strong flavor of life. It is a bold innovation and successful attempt. It has been warmly welcomed when performed at home and abroad. The masses call it "our music". My own symphony." Hong Kong artists have adapted it into Gaohu concertos, acapellas and stage plays, and American dancers have also adapted it into beautiful and moving ice dances. This beautiful violin concerto tells a sad and beautiful love story with elegant and lingering music.
This is the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai that has been circulated among the people for a long time. Zhu Yingtai disguised herself as a man and went to the library to study. There, she met the honest, kind and talented Liang Shanbo. The two fell in love with each other, often studying together and spending a carefree life in the library.
However, the day of separation finally arrived. At this time, Liang Shanbo didn't know that Zhu Yingtai was disguised as a man. He was also reluctant to part with it, but didn't think much about it. Zhu Yingtai knew that if they separated like this, he might never see Liang Shanbo again, so he proposed to become a "brother" with him. Liang Shanbo was very happy. Before leaving, Zhu Yingtai asked Liang Shanbo to come and see her, and said that she would betroth her sister "Jiu Mei" to him. Shan Bo didn't know that the ninth sister Zhu Yingtai mentioned was actually herself, but he still agreed.
Unexpectedly, once Yingtai returned home, she would never come out again. Because her father betrothed her to Ma Wencai, a local official and gentry. Yingtai firmly disagreed and asked her father to cancel the engagement. But Ma Wencai heard that Zhu Yingtai was beautiful and talented, and decided to marry her.
Liang Shanbo finally arrived before Yingtai got married. He finally understood that Yingtai was the "Nine Sisters", and he felt extremely regretful. The two of them talked to each other.
Ma Wencai found out about this. He sent people to drive Liang Shanbo away and beat him severely. Liang Shanbo was tired, anxious, hateful and worried, and finally died the day before Yingtai was to get married. .
On the way to be married, Zhu Yingtai stopped in front of Liang Shanbo’s grave and cried. The violin cried out in a sad tone: Brother Liang! The melody is broken and staccato, filled with grief, crying, kneeling, and some fragments of memories. Gradually, the tears opened, the crying stopped, and the mind was made up. Amidst the sad and angry bass gongs, he threw himself into the suddenly exploded tomb and committed suicide. The music reached its climax at the same time.
The final part of the music of "Butterfly Lovers" is the recapitulation part "Butterfly". Against the background of light and elegant strings, the love theme reappears. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transformed into a pair of butterflies from the grave. Fly freely among the flowers and never be separated.
The rainbow is thousands of miles away and hundreds of flowers are blooming, and the colorful butterflies are in pairs among the flowers, inseparable for thousands of generations...
The violin piece "Butterfly Lovers" was composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao when they were studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The work was composed in the winter of 1958. It was premiered in Shanghai in May of the following year and received good reviews. Yu Lina was the violin soloist at the premiere. The theme is a well-known folk tale, using tunes from Yue opera as the material, using a combination of symphony and Chinese folk opera music expression techniques, carefully conceived and laid out according to the development of the plot, using a sonata-style structure, a single movement, and a subtitle. The whole song lasts for 28 minutes and is divided into three parts: falling in love, resisting marriage, and turning into a butterfly. The music content mainly describes the beautiful legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai who fell in love but could not be together, and finally both turned into butterflies.