Lin Songtao

254238712@qq.com

A CONCERT commemorating renowned Chinese erhu performer Min Huifen was held at Jixiang Villa in Longgang District on Wednesday. The concert was organized by the Shenzhen Musical Instrument Professional Association.

Jiang Kairu, the lyricist of the famous songs “A Story in Spring” and “Walk Into the New Era,” Shenzhen Musical Instrument Professional Association president Yuan Yan and Shenzhen University piano professor Wang Changkui participated in the event. Erhu musicians included Liu Yong graduating from China Conservatory of Music and Hu Qing and Jin Meizi who graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music.

Other musicians playing sheng, dulcimer, flute, pipa, cello, viola and drums also took part in the concert.

In the concert, the audience members enjoyed rhythms from classic erhu tunes such as “The Moon Over a Fountain,” “River of Sorrow,” “The Great Wall Capriccio” and “Honghu Capriccio.”

Min was born in Yixing City of Jiangsu Province in 1945 and died in 2014. Her father was a student of modern erhu master Liu Tianhua and she loved music since childhood. Min entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study erhu when she was 13. In 1963, she won an award at the fourth “Spring of Shanghai” National Erhu Competition. In 1979, she started to perform erhu music overseas, including the United States, Canada and France, and established her excellent reputation.

Jiang spoke highly of the concert. “I appreciate Min and was moved by the story about how conductor Seiji Ozawa wept after listening to Min’s tunes. Her music is connected to the spirit. Her spirituality of focusing on traditional art should be passed on,” he said.

“Min was the image of ‘idol’ from my teacher’s generation. She spent her whole life promoting Chinese traditional music, motivating Chinese musicians to keep making progress,” Liu Yong said. “In addition to commemorating, the concert also gave us a chance to exchange performing techniques; I hope more concerts like this can be held in the future.”