East Meets West in Houston Symphony Concert Celebrating Asia

Mongolian violinist Angelo Xiang Yu joins the Houston Symphony to revel in the vibrant musical traditions of Houston's Asian communities for Celebrate Asia at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11, 2017, at Houston Baptist University's Morris Cultural Arts Center.

Led by Taiwanese-American guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen, the hourlong concert features east Asian folk songs interwoven with popular Western classical music. Select works on the program include Bèo D?t Mây Trôi, a lush orchestration of a traditional Vietnamese song arranged for orchestra by leading Vietnamese cellist Ngo Hoang Quan; Yuzo Toyama's Rhapsody for Orchestra, a folk-music travelogue of Japan; and a set of variations on "Arirang," a folk song often referred to as Korea's unofficial national anthem.

Known for his technical command and musicality, Yu will be featured in Ravel's gypsy-inspired Tzigane for Violin and Orchestra and an excerpt from The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, one of the most famous modern Chinese orchestral pieces. Yu is the 2010 winner of the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition and was the youngest prize winner ever at the Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 2006.

The program concludes with Chen leading the audience in a sing-a-long version of Gong Xi Gong Xi, a popular mandarin song that celebrates the arrival of spring and whose title is a common Lunar New Year greeting.

The concert will take place at the Morris Cultural Arts Center on the campus of Houston Baptist University, 7502 Fondren Road, Houston, TX 77074. For tickets ($10-$20) and information, call (713) 224-7575 or visit www.houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

PROGRAM:

CELEBRATE ASIA

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor

Angelo Xiang Yu, violin

Arr. Che-Yi Lee: National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra 70th Anniversary Suite

Arr. Ngo Hoang Quan: Bèo D?t Mây Trôi

J.B. Chance/R. Longfield: Variations on a Korean Folk Song

Ravel: Tzigane for Violin and Orchestra

Yuzo Toyama: Rhapsody for Orchestra

Chen Gang/He Zhanhao: The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto

Arr. Che-Yi Lee: Gong Xi Gong Xi

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