Simplified Score of "Liang Zhu":
"Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" (short for Liang Zhu) is a violin concerto based on folklore, drawing on the tunes of the Yueju Opera, and composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang in 1958.
The work was premiered on May 27, 1959 at the Shanghai Lanxin Theater as a tribute to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the nation by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Yu Lina, then an 18-year-old student of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, was the violin soloist, and Fan Chengwu was the conductor of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Student Orchestra.
Expanded Information
The violin concerto is a synthesis of symphonic music and Chinese folk opera music, and is carefully conceived in accordance with the development of the plot. It expresses people's deep sympathy for and wishes for the hero and heroine of the tragedy, as well as their pursuit of and yearning for a better life.
The whole piece is about twenty-six minutes long, the first five minutes recounts the theme of Liang Zhu's love, then the happy school life, and then the eighteen farewells. From eleven minutes onwards, the second section begins, with Zhu Yingtai returning home to fight against her marriage, the meeting on the platform of the building, and finally the weeping of the spirit. The second section is about the same length as the first, about eleven minutes. The final section is Butterfly, a recurrence of the theme.
The piece begins with a few plucked strings followed by a flute, as if in the clouds, as a way to open the prelude, as if looking down on the earth from the sky and plucking away at the clouds, the character scene from the blurring of the slowly become clear. First the violin plays the theme, two long and two short plus a concluding phrase, long, long and far away, as if Zhu Yingtai is telling the story of the old days beside her. Then the theme is repeated once in the bass, back to earth and down to earth.
The orchestra plays the theme in general, and the scene is all understood. The cello, representing Liang Shanbo, also appears, and the two are in love. The cello harmonizes the theme, and gradually the violin dominates the melody and introduces the orchestra to emphasize it once more.
When the music dies down, the woodwinds take over and the melody slowly falls away. The solo violin's deep, soothing, and somewhat introspective tone signifies Zhu Yingtai's uncertainty about her future, but her firm belief in herself. Be brave and love! The mood is light, the flute is loud and clear, and the cello dances, like a spring trip between two people on a sunny March day. The violin shows its skill, and it's magnificent.