Greeks enjoy sounds of Chinese music

Two renowned virtuosos of traditional Chinese musical instruments, Zhou Wei and Yang Jing, performed with the City of Athens Symphony Orchestra in the Greek capital on Thursday evening.

The first meeting of the Chinese and Greek artists in a concert, entitled Melody from Beijing, was warmly received by a full house at the Athens Concert Hall.

Zhou, accompanied by Chinese pianist Qu Dawei, introduced Greeks to the magic of erhu (two-stringed fiddle) performing works such as The Grapes Are Ripe, while Yang won applause for her performance of pipa (four-stringed plucked instrument) solos such as The Swan.

The two artists also performed other famous Chinese music pieces, including Moonlight on the Pond and Nostalgic Dreams of Beijing.

The event, organized by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development in cooperation with the Athens city government and the Chinese embassy in Greece, included traditional and modern Chinese music as well as transcriptions of famous Western works.

The artists from China and Greece created a bridge which for two hours connected Athens to Beijing, showing the Greek audience classic and modern aspects of China.

Thursday's concert was the first in a series of cultural events planned to bring the two peoples closer, organizers say.

Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli told the audience that bilateral ties between the countries have grown stronger in recent years, thanks in part to such cultural exchanges.

"I believe that music can bring us closer and foster mutual understanding," he stresses.

Fotis Provatas, chairman of the Athens city council, says: "We thank our Chinese friends who came from far away to bring us a taste of their civilization."

Greek spectators left the concert hall excited.

"The performance has left me with the best impressions," says Georgia Papargiadis, a musician and teacher. "It was wonderful to see the presentation of China's culture through the traditional musical instruments combined with Western instruments such as the piano that we are familiar with.

"Art in general can unite peoples. Tonight proved this through the combination of these elements."

"It was a wonderful evening," says Amalia Matiatou, vice-president of the Greece-China Association. "The two artists are famous from what we have learned, and it was a great honor having them here with us from China. It was a great pleasure watching them tonight."