Attempting an IMPOSSIBLE violin performance (Zigeunerweisen)

27-year-old Zhang Zheyuan has toured with elite performance troupes, traveled the world, and played in Olympic ceremonies.

1 0
5:06 PM HKT, Wed December 4, 2019

27-year-old Zhang Zheyuan has toured with elite performance troupes, traveled the world, and played in Olympic ceremonies. And he’s done it all in darkness. This is the story of his journey to master Zigeunerweisen “Gypsy Airs”.


Zheyuan breaks down the three steps for him to master a piece. First, he would need to translate the sheet music into braille, and memorize the entire sheet, as he wouldn't be able to look at sheets when he plays. Second, with the notes memorized to perfection, he can start practicing the techniques. And lastly, he can finally interpret the piece with his own creative expressions. 

Join the Conversation
0 comments
Write comment

Other Episodes in RADII Voices

Dreampop and Shoegaze emerged in the U.K. and made its way to China in the late 80’s - but it wasn’t until the 90’s when it really took off. Watch More

With a team of 13 kids, Liu Yufei has essentially created the first children’s hockey team at Weiga Ice Rink in Wuhan — the Snow Wolves. Watch More

Jinx Zhou makes music on her own terms, using the internet to promote her image and her music to the world, and freeing herself from the confines of being told what to do by parents, by managers, by anyone really. Watch More

Shanghai-based illustrator Chen Fenda’s comic series about a little purple bat called Afu is beautifully realized. Watch More

#Hip Hop

The pioneering bboy (that is, "breakdancer", to the layman) and founder of Caster Studio first honed his athletic prowess as a member of the Shanghai city gymnastics team. Watch More

By day, Gouachi attends high school in Shanghai. By night, the 17-year-old performs across the city’s high-octane club scene. Watch More

#Art

Porcelain or ‘white gold’ was once among the world's most coveted products, and Jingdezhen had its kilns burning day and night to meet global demand. Watch More

#FIRST International Film Festival

China is a challenging place to be an indie filmmaker, given the country’s history of censorship and suppression of creative expression. But FIRST International Film Festival is an opportunity for this community to come together. Many young filmmakers in China view FIRST as the Chinese version of Sundance. It’s a place where up-and-coming indie filmmakers can work with other professionals and potentially get funding for their cinematic dreams. RADII wants to find out if it truly lives up to the hype. Here’s one story of a young filmmaker in China. Watch More