Classical guitarist captivates audience in Beijing

Classical guitarist Chen Xi performed a stunning recital on Friday at the Musicians Arts Space in Beijing's Wukesong area, delighting fans with some of her most popular works.

The program featured not only masterworks such as Asturias (Leyenda) by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz and Libertango by Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla, but also various Chinese compositions that she had rearranged for classical guitar.

One of the highlights of the performance included Ambush from Ten Sides, a famous Chinese classical composition originally for the pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute), which has earned Chen over 1.3 million likes on the short-video platform Douyin. Other notable pieces included Immortal Sound Above Cloud Palace, the theme song composed by Xu Jingqing for the 1986 TV adaptation of the classic Journey to the West, which is also featured in the 2024 hit video game Black Myth: Wukong. Additionally, she performed Song of Burying Flowers, an interlude song from the 1987 TV adaptation of the classic Dream of the Red Mansions.

Chen graduated from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree in classical guitar and won the championship at both the 7th Thailand International Guitar Competition and the 3rd Singapore International Guitar Competition.

In addition to performing regularly in China, she has toured internationally in France, Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

Renowned for her technical mastery, innovative compositions and adaptations, and her unique fusion of traditional Chinese instruments such as the pipa, guzheng and erhu with classical guitar, Chen has amassed a large following on social media platforms.