Chinese-Western musical exchange as Ziyang Huang’s erhu joins the Oxford Phil’s Vivaldi Four Seasons

United Kingdom Vivaldi’s Venice: Ziyang Huang (erhu), Gordon Hunt (oboe), Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra / Tamás András (director/violin). Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 18.7.2025. (M-EW)

Vivaldi – Violin Concerto in A minor, RV356; The Four Seasons
Corelli – Concerto Grosso in F major, Op.6 No.2
Alessandro Marcello – Oboe Concerto in C minor, S.Z799

If we trace the development of modern Chinese orchestral music back to 1927, when Liu Tianhua established the Society for the Improvement of Chinese Music and systematically introduced the concept of violin positions into erhu performance, it has now been nearly a century. Over the past two decades, many important works from the violin repertoire have gradually become essential study pieces for erhu performers. Beyond technical training, practicing such works is often imbued with the significance of ‘promoting cultural exchange between Chinese and Western music.’

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra invited young Chinese erhu soloist Huang Ziyang to join the ensemble in performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, a collaboration that clearly bears this cultural symbolism. Huang Ziyang took on the solo parts in ‘Spring’ and ‘Winter’, while the orchestra’s concertmaster, Tamás András, performed the solos in ‘Summer’ and ‘Autumn’. From a musical point of view, the chemistry between Huang and the orchestra might best be described as ‘talking to one another, but not conversing.’ In other words, the orchestra did not fully understand the characteristics of the solo instrument, and the soloist likewise did not fully grasp the nature of the repertoire and the ensemble’s performance conventions.

As for the solo performance itself, Huang Ziyang’s technical proficiency was truly impressive intonation, often the most criticised issue when playing violin repertoire on the erhu, was nearly flawless. However, beneath the dazzling technique, Huang has yet to master the key elements of performing Baroque music with a symphony orchestra, particularly given that the concert did not have a conductor. During the performance, the soloist directed the majority of her attention and visual cues towards the concertmaster, yet overlooked the fact that many sections in The Four Seasons are propelled by the lower strings and harpsichord. In these passages, the solo cellist should have been the main point of visual connection. As a result, the orchestra, especially the principal cellist, was often left unsure of the timing, leading to instances where the ensemble lagged behind the soloist. Although the orchestra’s excellent cohesion allowed them to quickly recover after minor discrepancies, the recurrence of such issues highlighted a lack of deeper understanding of the ensemble part on the soloist’s part.

From the orchestra’s perspective, there was similarly insufficient awareness of the adjustments needed when an erhu substitutes for the violin. The most striking example occurred in the upper register passages of ‘Spring’. Generally speaking, a violin’s sound becomes more penetrating the higher it plays, allowing the solo line to remain clearly audible even amidst a full orchestral texture. The erhu, by contrast, loses projection in the upper register. Despite the use of microphones during the performance, the erhu’s volume remained limited. That is an intrinsic characteristic of the instrument rather than a reflection on the soloist’s ability. Yet in these moments, the orchestra failed to lower its volume accordingly, resulting in the solo line being inadvertently overwhelmed. Evidently, the ensemble did not fully grasp the acoustic nature of the solo instrument.

In the other works on the programme, the first half featured concertos by Vivaldi, Corelli, and Marcello, with the solos performed by the orchestra’s section principals. Even in the absence of a conductor, the performers delivered a polished and cohesive interpretation, a testament to the ensemble’s well-established collaborative rapport. Their phrasing, sense of breath between lines, and tonal balance were all executed to a consistently high standard.

The second half, featuring ‘Summer’ and ‘Autumn’ with Tamás András as soloist, further highlighted the deep musical understanding between soloist and orchestra. In particular, the Presto movement of Summer showcased dazzling virtuosity from Tamás and tightly coordinated playing from the ensemble, culminating in thunderous applause from the audience.

In summary, this concert will still likely be considered a successful and exciting event, on the surface, fulfilling the aim of fostering ‘cultural exchange between Chinese and Western music.’ After all, the soloist’s virtuosity was beyond question, the audience responded with enthusiasm, and the post-performance interactions between the soloist and orchestra members were warm and convivial. However, from a deeper perspective of musical cultural exchange, neither the soloist nor the orchestra demonstrated a sufficiently thorough understanding of each other’s musical traditions. As such, the performance ultimately amounted to ‘talking’ without true ‘dialogue’.

Was this concert Huang Ziyang’s starting or concluding collaboration with the Oxford Philharmonic? That remains to be seen. If this performance can mark the beginning of a longer-term partnership, which allows both sides the opportunity to truly learn from and understand the nature of each other’s instruments and repertoire, then that would constitute a truly meaningful cultural exchange. In this light, the concert might be better viewed not as the outcome of Chinese-Western musical exchange, but rather as the starting point for one.

Min-Erh Wang