Virtuoso Chinese cellist performs in London

There will be no time for rest after renowned Chinese cellist Qin Li-wei concludes his performance with the London Symphony Orchestra on Friday evening.

The in-demand musician will return to Asia the next day for a series of performances in Qingdao and Beijing in China, and then on to South Korea.

“Apart from one week of the year, life does get pretty hectic and exciting,” said the 42-year-old.

The one week out of his busy schedule is when he goes on holiday with his family, minus the cello. But he admits that after three or four days away, he craves to have his instrument back.

Qin said one reason is fear of losing muscle memory.

“As you age, that factor kicks in,” he said, “One week was nothing in my twenties, I could come back pretty quickly on the scales but now it takes a little longer.”

Qin is currently in the English capital, where he will be performing with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican in an East meets West concert.

“In the repertoire we have Ye Xiaogang’s Poem of China, which is a very tricky piece. Itis a beautiful description of different parts of China and its regions, different customs and characteristics,” he said.

Qin will also play pieces by Haydn and the concert also features the London premier of Raymond Yiu’s Butorfleoge, alongside pieces by Tchaikovsky.

Qin said it’s always a privilege to play with the London Symphony Orchestra, and said he is glad to see collaborations between the UK and China.

“The easy route is only exporting Chinese traditional music because it is so different to what is played in London, New York and Paris,” he said, adding that China should also be looking into exporting the best of art, and to let Western audiences understand the real depth and talent in other art forms.

Born in Shanghai, Qin moved to Australia at age 13, before accepting scholarships to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Qin has performed at the BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall and collaborated with orchestras such as London Philharmonic, Los Angeles philharmonic and La Verdi Orchestra Milan among many others.

The cellist has been compared to Yo-Yo Ma and Wang Jian. Qin, who now resides in Singapore, previously lived in China, Australia and Britain.

He said: “I feel very lucky to be able to travel like this and have the privilege to work with all the orchestras in the world. It influences one’s perspective towards not only the arts, but also how we understand the world.”

LSO Eclectica: Chinese Strings and Flutes is at the Barbican on Friday.