The Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto

The story of The Butterfly Lovers (Liang Zhu) is a Chinese legend about two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, that is often equated to a Chinese Romeo and Juliet. The name comes from the tale, in which a pair of butterflies are seen flying out of the tomb of the two lovers.

This tale inspired The Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto, one of the most well-known Chinese classical pieces, composed in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. It captures the elements of the legend, beautifully expresses the emotions of joy, love and grief, and is a piece to which you must listen.

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Thanks, once again, to Grooveshark, which made the sharing of this song possible.