Classical Music
Vocal Music
Favorite tenor: Enrico Caruso: Una Furtiva Lagrima and Rigoletto Quartet
Favorite
soprano: Maria Callas: Casta Diva, Vissi d'arte, and Parigi O Cara
Favorite aria: Depuis le Jour, Quando me ne vo, Queen of Night, duet: Dite alla giovine, Pearl Fishers and La Boheme, quartet: Rigoletto, sextet: Lucia di Lammermoor
Favorite songs: Song to the Moon, Lacrymosa, Vocalise, None But the Lonely Heart, Bachiana brasileira, After a Dream, On Wings of Song, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Pie Jesu, Caruso, and Flower Girl
Touching performance: Ave Maria
Symphonic
music
Favorite orchestra: Berlin
Philharmonic
Favorite piece: Mahler Symphony
No. 1 in D Major
Favorite piece I played before:
Dvorak Symphony
No. 9 in E Minor (remind me the day morning in Montreal/Burlington, noon in Detroit, and evening playing this in Boca)
Most exciting/disturbing piece: The Rite of Spring (remind me Inca ice maiden Juanita)
Chamber
music
Favorite composer:
Ludwig van Beethoven and String Quartet No.15 in A Minor (message to (and from) god)
Favorite piece: Shostakovich String
Quartet No. 8 in C Minor
Favorite piece I played before:
Borodin String Quartet No. 2 (remind me of happy time playing in college string quartet)
Touching performance: Tchaiovsky Trio and Andante Cantabile
Violin and cello
Favorite violinist:
David
Oistrach: Shostakovich Violin Concerto in A Minor
Favorite piece:
Beethoven Violin
Concerto in D Major
Favorite piece I played before:
Meditation (first classical music piece I heard)
Touching performance: Chaconne (most spiritual)
, Introduction and Tarantelle (played by Varga and Heifetz), Traumerei, Valse Sentimentale, and Bach Cello Suite No. 5
Classical guitar
Favorite guitarist: Mingbao Zhu (my teacher from Shanghai)
Favorite piece:
Concierto de Aranjuez
Favorite piece I played before:
Romanza
Piano
Favorite composer:
Frederic
Chopin
Favorite pianist:
Arthur
Rubinstein: Chopin Nocturne in G Minor
Favorite piece:
Rachmaninoff Piano
Concerto No. 2 in C Minor (my daughters Nini and Yaoyao played before)
Favorite piece I played before: Some day (duet played with my daughters)
Touching performance: Les Années de Pèlerinage (my daughter Yaoyao played before)
Sports
Soccer
Favorite team: Manchester
United
Sentimental favorite: Liverpool
Current favorite player:
Dimitar Berbatov
(hope he will
not leave ManU)
(TV: Fox Sport Channel on Saturday and Sunday)
Boxing
Favorite boxer: Roy
Jones Jr.
(TV: HBO and Showtime on Saturday nights)