Name: The Eternal Regret of Lin'an (临安遗恨) Guzheng Player: Yuan Sha (袁莎） Composer: He Zhanhao （何占豪） The Eternal Regret of Lin'an was first written by Zhongruan (another kind of traditional Chinese instrument) player Lin Jiliang in 1991. A year later it was recomposed by He Zhanhao into a Guzheng concerto. He Zhanhao is the co-writer of one of the most famous orchestra works of Chinese music The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto. Introduction of the work: This Guzheng Concerto is a masterpiece that depicts Yuefei's complicated feelings before death. Yue Fei was a national hero and military general who was best known for leading Southern Song forces in the wars in the 12th century between Southern Song and the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty in northern China. Yet he was put to death under a concocted charge. In this composition, Yuefei expressed his love to his family, the regret that he was unable to stop the invasion from Jurchen and protect his beloved country, the desperation of being framed up, the resentment towards the treacherous court officials who planned the concocted charge and manipulated the emperor, and many other complicated feelings. He recalled his past on the battlefield where he fought fearlessly for his country, too. To some extent, the Eternal Regret of Lin'an marked the recurrence of traditional guzheng compositions during the 1990s, during which time most guzheng compositions created were influenced by Western modern music. Compared with other work, it is not the most challenging one technically, but not many guzheng players are able to efficiently convey the complicated emotions of the work. Yuan Sha's version is perhaps the best one in Chinese guzheng history, though Wang Zhongshan and Su Chang arguably present it excellently.
