Pipa virtuoso Liu Fang challenges her listeners by pacing the emotional intensity and restraint of this composition (King Chu Doffs His Armour = King Xiang Yu Takes Off His Armor = Conqueror Xiang Yu's Triumphant = Bà Wáng Xiè Jiǎ = Pi Pa Du Zou). Liu propels the drama; showcases her technique; and connects the listener with emotions of national defeat and despair, emotions that pipa players have evoked for millennia to move their Chinese audience.

Take the ten minutes to listen to this piece. See if you aren't different at the end of it – I think you will be; if you have the heart to hear.

Classical music