The “Butterfly Lovers” (Liangzhu) was originally composed in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao as a violin concerto.
It became world famous as it is expressive and melodic, especially in the romantic and tragic passages.
Later, it was adapted for the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed fiddle.
The Butterfly Lovers/Liangzhu Erhu Concerto retains the original structure (e.g., “Falling in Love,” “Resisting the Forced Marriage,” “Transformation into Butterflies”), but it intensifies the tragedy and lyricism through the erhu’s soulful voice.
The artist playing the erhu here is Ma Xiaohui (马晓辉). She is one of China’s most acclaimed erhu musicians.
LWH, Sat 19 July 2025