The Butterfly Lovers Concerto, performed by violinist Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell’s latest recording is an adaptation of the classic seven-movement Butterfly Lovers Concerto. In this video he performs the final Adagio Cantabile movement, accompanied by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra under conductor Tsung Yeh. 

Inspired by a romantic Chinese legend, the concerto was written in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. For this recording, Bell performed an adaptation of the work by Yang Hui Chang and Ku Lap-Man for an orchestra of traditional instruments. ’It was a joy to collaborate with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra musicians, who brought this work to life through the expressive sounds of the traditional Chinese instruments,’ he said. ‘The music beautifully describes the classic Butterfly Lovers story, featuring themes of romance, star-crossed lovers, and friendship.’

The recording also includes versions of Sarasate’s Ziguenerweisen, Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs in distinctive arrangements for Chinese orchestra.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

This year’s calendar celebrates the top instruments played by members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Australian String Quartet and some of the country’s greatest soloists.