Pianist keys up for a new Dream

Malaysian pianist Claudia Yang tries to interpret A Dream of Red Mansions with a piano concerto. Photo provided to China Daily

Back for an encore

Jiang Jie: Piano life

As one of Malaysia's leading pianists, Claudia Yang has spent two decades touring the world and working with top international musicians. Even as she was getting used to this way of life, an idea has lingered in her mind: to re-interpret the classic Chinese tale, A Dream of Red Mansions, as a piano concerto.

"I first read the book when I was young, and I had repeatedly read it as I grew older," says Yang, 40. "Each time, I would find a new understanding of the cultural background and the connotations of the story."

The idea has finally been realized. Yang has teamed up with the Hungarian composer Gyula Fekete and adapted the literary classic into a piano concerto, also titled A Dream of Red Mansions.

Along with Hungary's famous Gyor Philharmonic Orchestra, the pianist will debut the concerto in Beijing on Sept 22 at the China National Museum music hall, before she takes it on a world tour.

Written by Cao Xueqin in the 18th century, A Dream of Red Mansions has, over the years, been adapted into various art forms. There was a film version in 1962, then a TV series in 1987; millions in China have viewed them.

Yang had watched the TV production and was deeply inspired by the soundtrack, which was composed by Wang Liping. Wang, 73, is known for writing music for films and TV series, and he spent a little more than four years composing for the television series.

Along with Fekete, who is the dean of the composition department at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Hungary's capital, Budapest, Yang has adapted five songs from the soundtrack.

"My approach is in accordance with the traditional concerto form, with a full symphony to back the piano," says Yang. "I am fascinated by the novel's many subplots, and such vivid scenes as Lin Daiyu burying the flowers, and Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu (two main female roles in the novel) catching butterflies."

The scenes seemed so real as though they were in front of her. She wanted to capture it and express each character's thoughts and feelings, she says.