CCMusic.com

The Yellow River Concerto is one of the most popular of all Chinese works, a richly melodic exploration of scenic variety, and a forceful expression of patriotic pride. Written in 1958 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto has achieved world renown for it's moving and beautiful synthesis of Western and Eastern traditions. In 1985 Chen Gang made an arrangement for piano and orchestra, played on this recording in the edition by the brilliant international soloist Chen Jie. Since her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Wolfgang Sawallisch, at the age of sixteen, Chen Jie has performed in many leading concert venues around the world. She has won praise at many international competitions including the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (USA). Carolyn Kuan is recognized as one of the most exciting, innovative and outstanding conductors of her generation. Her North American engagements include the Baltimore, San Francisco, Detroit and Seattle symphonies. She holds the distinction of being the first female to be awarded the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship.