On the afternoon of Sep. 18, the "Eternal Jiangnan" concert resonated along the Rhine River, immersing over 800 German audience members in the rich cultural atmosphere of traditional Chinese Jiangnan music. The highlight of the performance was the captivating collaboration between German violinist Ulrich Edelmann, concertmaster of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and renowned Chinese erhu virtuoso Zhu Changyao. 

Together, the two artists brought a harmonious blend of East and West to life with renditions of the Chinese classic Butterfly Lovers and Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik in G major. The duet between erhu and violin took the concert to its peak, with Zhu's erhu playing offering a delicate and melodious tone, while Edelmann's violin exuded an elegant resonance. After the performance, the conductor and the two musicians embraced warmly, celebrating their successful collaboration. 

In an exclusive interview following the performance, Zhu Changyao shared his thoughts on the significance of cultural exchange through music: 

“I've been to Germany about six or seven times. Germany is a world leader in classical music,” said Zhu. “For this performance, I specially arranged the duet version of Butterfly Lovers and Eine kleine Nachtmusik. This afternoon was the first time I met Ulrich Edelmann in person. He is a very well-known violinist here in Germany, and both our rehearsal and the evening performance went smoothly.” 

Zhu emphasized the cultural context behind the concert, saying, “The name of this concert is Eternal Jiangnan, and all the pieces we performed are centered around Jiangnan. For example, the story of Butterfly Lovers is a famous folk tale from Jiangnan. We wanted to tell a Chinese story with Jiangnan’s voice, creating more opportunities for Chinese and world music to connect and communicate. By blending the erhu and violin, we’re able to bring Eastern and Western music together more effectively. I believe this kind of grassroots cultural exchange is crucial.”