Chinese and local musicians perform during a concert in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 7, 2018. The Chinese ELK Chamber Orchestra held a concert titled "Strings' Dance Celebrating the Spring Festival" here Wednesday evening. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)
BUDAPEST, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese ELK Chamber Orchestra held a concert titled "Strings' Dance Celebrating the Spring Festival" here Wednesday evening.
The concert started with the "Dance of the Golden Snake," which was originally composed by Nie Er, the composer of China's national anthem. The version played by the orchestra was re-arranged and re-orchestrated to cater to contemporary aesthetic needs.
The piece was followed by Chinese classics including "A Moonlight Night On A Spring River" and "The Moon Reflected On the Second Spring," which are among the most well-known tunes performed on the erhu, a two-stringed traditional Chinese musical instrument.
The orchestra also performed two pieces inspired by gypsy music, "Zigeunerweisen" and "Deux Guitares." The local audience was thrilled to hear their familiar tunes played on traditional Chinese instruments.
Among the pieces, the "Partridges Fly," inspired by an ancient Chinese poem, incorporates elements of traditional Chinese opera and music, making it more elegant and graceful.
The composition "String Song" uses fast runs of notes to reach a climax.
After the show, the musicians played a Hungarian classic, "Csardas," as an encore, much to the delight of the audience.
The orchestra has already given successful concerts in the northern Hungarian cities of Miskolc and Kazincbarcika. The fourth concert is to be presented in the southwestern city of Pecs.
The ELK Chamber Orchestra, established in September 2016, groups young music teachers and graduate students from some of the leading music schools in China.
