Chinese superstar violinist Lu Siqing makes his first recording with an Australian orchestra!

Lu Siqing, China's finest violinist, makes his debut recording with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – to be launched at MSO's gala Chinese New Year Concert (celebrating the Year of the Dog).

Mr Lu (whose full name is pronounced 'Lyu See-Ching') burst onto the international music stage when he became the first Asian violinist to win first prize at the prestigious Paganini International Violin Competition in Italy, in 1987. Prior to this, at the age of 11, he was selected by legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, England. Whilst based in Beijing, Mr Lu now performs across the globe with the world's finest orchestras.

On this album, Mr Lu performs two of the finest and most treasured concertos in the western repertory: Max Bruch's career-defining Violin Concerto No.1, composed in 1866; and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, written just three years before the composer died tragically young at the age of 38. When the ABC asked Australia to nominate their favourite concertos in 2007, these works entered at number 4 and 12 respectively, a reflection of their extraordinary enduring appeal.

East meets West on this album, with the inclusion of a concerto by China's foremost composer, Tan Dun. Best known for his scores for the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero, Tan Dun has become one of the most widely celebrated Chinese cultural figures of our generation. His concerto Out of Peking Opera starts with a direct quotation from the 'jing hu' fiddling of Peking Opera, which unfolds into a glittering reflection of China in the modern world.

Recorded in the studio with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and their Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey, this album presents a joyful showcase of music-making from one of the world's great virtuosos, and a true collaboration between two remarkable musical cultures.