“Butterfly Lovers" Guzheng(Chinese duet) duet

He Zhanhao, Chen Gang  

古筝二重奏“梁山伯与祝英台”取材自梁祝小提琴协奏曲的爱情主题和草桥结拜段落，由向新梅老师于2019年编写。梁山伯與祝英台是一個口頭傳承的傳說故事，敘述祝英台女扮男裝求學，結識同窗梁山伯，最終卻無法結下姻緣的愛情悲劇。《梁山伯與祝英台小提琴協奏曲》（The Butterfly Lovers）常簡稱為《梁祝小提琴協奏曲》或《梁祝》，是由中國上海音樂學院學生何占豪和陳鋼以越劇《梁山伯與祝英台》為基礎創作的小提琴協奏曲，何占豪提供主旋律、陳鋼編曲配器、俞麗拿修訂並于1959年首演。誕生僅一年，《梁祝》就確立了中國文化代表作的地位。時至今日，《梁祝》已經全方位覆蓋了中國社會，上至國家級音樂會、下到小學生音樂課，《梁祝》的旋律幾乎無所不在，覆蓋了所有階層和地區。《梁祝》是一部傳統與現代交織、高雅藝術和民間戲曲共生、中西文化結合的作品。

The guzheng duet “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai” draws inspiration from the love theme and the segment of the grass bridge oath in the Butterfly Lovers violin concerto. Arranged by Professor Cynthia Hsiang in 2019, this piece is based on the poignant tale of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. In this oral legend, Zhu Yingtai disguises herself as a man to pursue education and befriends her classmate, Liang Shanbo. Tragically, their love cannot culminate in marriage due to societal constraints. The “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai Violin Concerto”, commonly known as “The Butterfly Lovers”, was originally composed by students He Zhanhao and Chen Gang from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China. He Zhanhao contributed the main melody, while Chen Gang orchestrated the violin concerto. Violinist Yu Lina further refined the composition. It premiered in 1959. Remarkably, within just one year of its inception, “The Butterfly Lovers” solidified its status as a masterpiece of Chinese culture. Today, its melodic strains resonate across all levels of Chinese society, from national concerts to elementary school music classes. This work seamlessly weaves tradition and modernity, high art and folk opera, bridging the gap between Chinese and Western cultures.