VALLETTA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A concert themed "East meets West" in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival, a Chinese traditional festival, was held here on Wednesday night.
The concert was performed by the Xue Trio, a Paris-based band, at the China Cultural Centre in Malta. The repertoire featured renowned Chinese traditional music pieces such as "Three Variations on Plum Blossom" and "Dialogue between the Fisherman and the Woodcutter," as well as some Western music selections.
The Xue Trio, which was formed last year, consists of French musician Pierre-Henri Xuereb, who plays the viola d'amore, Gui Zhiwei (Simon Debierre), a player of the Chinese traditional instrument guqin, and Niu Ruixin, who plays the viola.
"I love the oriental music, I love Chinese music, and I like the guqin instrument," Chantal le Roux Briffa, a 48-year-old audience, said after the concert.
Briffa, who has studied Chinese for ten years, said she hoped to listen to Chinese traditional music again, whether in Malta or China.
During an interaction with the audience, Xuereb, the founder of the band, shared his aspiration to play in China in the future, as he has visited the country multiple times.
Niu Ruixin, fascinated by the integration of Chinese and Western music since learning to play the viola in childhood, highlighted the innovative nature of this fusion. She said that it not only diversifies the music but also allows more audiences to appreciate the beauty of Chinese music.
Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Centre in Malta, emphasized the importance of such concerts and cultural talk events in promoting cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the West.
She said that they provide people an opportunity to experience the unique aspects of Chinese culture and the charm of mutual learning between different civilizations.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
