This video just left me with my mouth hanging open. Sun Huang, who is a professor at China’s Central Conservatory, performs the Saint-Säens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso on the two-stringed folk instrument, the erhu. It’s amazing technical playing, but that’s not the story here. What’s special is that she plays it with a musicality that many a violinist could only dream of. Ain’t music grand?
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7 replies on “amazing erhu artistry”
The cross-pollination of playing Western music on a traditional Far-Eastern folk instrument is dazzling here. Her technique is brilliant and her expression is extraordinary.
Extreme Saint-Saens
Yes, remarkable technique and intonation. However, I can truly live without such a grotesque display of over-kill vibrato, sleazy portamenti and comically exaggerated dynamic contrasts. Yes, many star violinists are probably drooling over this hyper-romantic performance. I, however, nearly retched.
I should probably also add that I don’t care for Saint-Saens and Lang-Langerace body language.
Finally, if Sun Huang winked at the end of the performance, it would be more readily apparent that this performance, is in fact, a parody.
All music aside, I got a bit of a giggle at the end of the performance. The poor soloist gets bombarded with flowers and gifts – now that was overkill!
Yeah – that was hilarious, wasn’t it? I’m amazed she was able to keep hold of her instrument. The first guy runs out so fast it looks like he’s attacking her!
i just got an email from a Seattle friend that read my erhu commentary. in it, he rightly accused me of being as “over-the-top” in my critique as the performance i was slagging. ouch. i guess i’m guilty as charged. well, now you know what i think of such stylistics – not that you needed to!
anyway, if the excellent erhu-ist in question renders the Bach “Chaccone” in a similar fashion, i reserve the right to REALLY go “over-the-top.” 🙂
Hey Bob,
She should’ve burnt her erhu a la Hendrix. Now that would’ve been over the top!
hahahaha, nice.
if she attempts “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a Hendrix tribute, then i’ll be upset if she doesn’t milk duh vibrato and indulge in other, necessary, excesses!