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VC Artist Chloe Chua’s New Album, “Butterfly Lovers & Paganini”

July 26, 2024

3 MIN READ

Released on Pentatone, the album sees Chloe perform with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and conductors Mario Venzago and Rodolfo Barráez

VC Artist Chloe Chua and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) have returned to Pentatone after their acclaimed recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Locatelli’s Labirinto armonico, released on the label in 2023.

Chloe’s new and second album showcases Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Paganini’s First Violin Concerto, alongside Chen Gang’s Sunshine over Tashkurgan.

Written in 1959, the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto was inspired by a tale often called the “Romeo and Juliet” of ancient China. The concerto combines Western classical idioms with elements from Chinese opera, such as grace notes and portamento effects. The piece has since become one of the most famous and acclaimed pieces of Chinese classical music.

Paganini’s First Violin Concerto is musically inspired by Rossinian bel canto, while Sunshine over Tashkurgan adds a “Central-Asian maqam to the stylistic palette” to the album and contributes to the other two pieces’ melodic richness and demanding virtuosity from the soloist.

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

“The solo parts are in excellent hands with Chloe Chua, who admires the steadfast love and perseverance of the Butterfly Lovers, and feels fully at home in these evocative and exhilarating masterpieces,” reads the press release.

“The Butterfly Lovers Concerto was one of my grand uncle’s favourite concertos,” Chloe added. “Years ago, I heard an excerpt played by one of his grandchildren at a family gathering, which left a deep impression on me. While learning the piece, I discovered how the Butterfly Lovers’ story has endured through many retellings across the ages in many different mediums, from ink to screen to music.

“Not only was I deeply moved by the steadfast love of the couple, and Zhu Yingtai’s courageous resistance against the customs of feudal society, I was also touched by the heart-wrenching story that unfolds through the violin concerto by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao.”

A short video of Chloe performing the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto with the SSO, can be viewed below.

Chloe Chua (b. 2007) shot to international stardom after winning the joint 1st Prize at the 2018 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.

The young star from Singapore has also garnered the 1st prize at the 24th Andrea Postacchini Violin Competition, 3rd prize at the 2017 Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, as well as accolades at the Thailand International Strings Competition (Junior Category Grand Prize) and the Singapore National Piano & Violin Competition (1st Prize, Junior 2017; 3rd Prize, Junior 2015).

Chloe was Artist-In-Residence of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) during their 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons - the youngest ever to be appointed to this role. She performed to an estimated 18,000 attendees across 18 performances and starred in multiple recording projects during this period.

At age 4, Chloe began her violin studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) School of Young Talents, honing her skills under the tutelage of Yin Ke. Chloe performs on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Milan, 1753, on generous loan from the Rin Collection.