Musician gives the guitar a Brazilian heart

Chinese-born musician Yang Xuefei is a celebrated figure in the world of classical guitar. Known for her technical precision, emotional playing, and ability to bridge musical traditions, Yang has created a space for herself in contemporary classical music.

Her journey into the world of Brazilian music in particular highlights her expansive approach to the guitar, and her openness to musical exploration. This interest in Brazilian music has led to numerous collaborations with Brazilian musicians and guitarists.

This year, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil, Yang has given a series of concerts inspired by Brazilian music.

For example, there was the special chamber concert featuring Brazilian music at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Sept 5, in the company of musicians from the China NCPA Orchestra and Fabio Zanon, a leading Brazilian guitarist. The concert featured music ranging from the classical compositions of Heitor Villa-Lobos, to the more modern and popular styles of jazz, samba and bossa nova, such as songs by composer Baden Powell.

On Sept 21, Yang performed during the 2024 NCPA Percussion Festival alongside percussionist Zheng Yu, showcasing pieces by the likes of Marco Pereira and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

She will give a recital of Baden Powell's Winter Song in Shanghai on Dec 21.

"I have long been an aficionado of Brazilian music. My first encounter was at the age of 12, when I began to play classical guitar. I heard Sounds of Bells by Joao Pernambuco at a Beijing show. The performers left the score behind, so I was able to practice it with my classmates later," says Yang.

She was born in the capital and graduated with a bachelor's degree in classical guitar from the Central Conservatory of Music before winning a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2002.

As a soloist, she has been living in London for the last 20 years and played in more than 50 countries and regions at numerous venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and New York's Carnegie Hall.

"Brazil is one example of how my horizons have been broadened by exposing myself to different cultures and their music. With more experience of life, I am now able to recognize why I love Brazilian music so much," says Yang. "There are many reasons, but essentially it comes down to the fact that it has everything music can offer, beautiful heart-aching melodies, complex but attractive harmonies, and a wide variety of exciting intricate rhythms."

"Yang took us across mountains and rivers to Brazil where music is a magical force that transcends boundaries, and brings people closer together," says Fang Yali, an undergraduate at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music who attended Yang's concert in Hangzhou in April.

Yang's foray is a testament to the unifying power of music across cultural boundaries. By drawing on Brazil's extensive musical heritage, she enriches her own artistry and introduces audiences around the world to the warmth, complexity and joy of Brazilian music. As she continues to blend classical techniques with Brazilian influences, she not only honors both traditions, but also contributes to a global musical conversation that celebrates diversity and artistic exchange.

In 2016, she released Colors of Brazil on Decca. The album includes 21 pieces by guitarists like Jobim, Villa-Lobos and Pernambuco. She recorded Morning of the Carnival, one of the first pieces she heard, and which remains her favorite. The song is probably the most notable in the bossa nova canon, and was written by Luiz Bonfa, a Brazilian guitarist and composer who achieved fame for his music for the film Black Orpheus (1959).