Bells and moonlight, the water spring and fish, and fiery tango and the funeral – these are the abstract themes that Chinese-Australian pianist Yiyun Gu has used as the springboard for her upcoming recital East Meets West. Here the rising star gives Limelight a taste of what’s to come.

Yiyun Gu. Photo supplied

What gave you the idea for your concert East Meets West?

I want to visualise the music, and create some images in the audience’s head when they are listening to my playing, like looking at two paintings, one from the East and one from the West. Water spring, funeral, bells, moonlight, fish, and tango dance are six themes I have selected which inspired the composers on my program. It is for the audience to turn the music into images, and find the connection and difference between two works composed not only far away in time, but also far away in distance.

Can you tell us a little bit about the contemporary Chinese composers you’ve included?

Tan Dun is one of the most important contemporary Chinese composers. Mo Fan has written a wide range of compositions including some theatre works, although they are not familiar to our...