Music of the heart

"What I thoroughly enjoyed about their performance was the spaciousness that they found in Totem," said Zoe Knighton, guest commentator and cellist with the Flinders Quartet, in an interview with ABC Classic FM, referring to the string quartet work by Chinese composer Zhang Zhao, who spent two years observing and researching local ethnic folk music in his native Yunnan province.

The quartet has toured more than 30 countries and to share and spread their love for classic music among the general public, they are devoted to giving concerts that combine live performances with introductions to, and anecdotes about, the history of classical music and musicians.

They just attended an international music festival held at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and performed twice in Chengdu on Nov 4 and 5. After that, they played in Wuhan, Hubei province, where they performed a sold-out concert on Nov 8. Their performances have been well-received by Chinese music lovers. A fan that attended their concert in Wuhan, wrote on Sina Weibo: "It was the first time that I ever watched a performance by a string quartet, which was impressive. It was a great pleasure to meet the musicians."

Yang, who was born and raised in Beijing, has been playing the cello since he was 8. At 14, he was already a promising cellist when he first performed with a symphony orchestra in Xiamen, Fujian province, under the baton of China's first female conductor, Zheng Xiaoying.

For many Chinese music prodigies of his generation, standing out as a great soloist is the long-held wish of his parents, teachers and the young musicians themselves. But musicians of the quartet cherish their time together. Yang says: "I am happy to have the other three musicians as my lifelong friends. We share the same career goal of playing as a team, instead of doing solo performances."

He says that chamber music as a music genre is not that mature but "is still growing" in the country. The positive side is that they have noticed that "more talented young people are becoming interested in chamber music", says Yang, adding that the four of them love to share their ideas about, and passion for, chamber music with their students.