Takako Nishizaki has received awards like the Bronze Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong and the Golden Merit Award of the Republic of Austria for her contributions to music, particularly in promoting Chinese music.
Cultural Impact
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto is one of the best known contemporary Chinese compositions and has become indelibly linked with violinist Takako Nishizaki.
Performer Biography
Takako Nishizaki, a Japanese violinist, was the first pupil of the famous Suzuki Method, co-founded by her father, and performed for musicians like Isaac Stern by age ten.
Composition History
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto was written in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, New Zealand, from April 8th to 10th, 2003, with Tim Handley as the producer.
Compositional Technique
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto synthesizes East and West by using themes from traditional Shaoxing opera with a Western orchestra, and the solo violin part reflects the technique of the er-hu, a two-string Chinese fiddle.
Performer Biography
Takako Nishizaki's recordings of The Butterfly Lovers Concerto have sold over three million copies in China and throughout South-East Asia, leading to further exploration of contemporary Chinese repertoire.
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