Three young Chinese musicians will give a concert tomorrow afternoon in the new Performance Hall of the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.

The trio, in their late 20s, all studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Pianist Zhang Cheng is a member of the Shanghai Opera House Orchestra, cellist Hu Cunyuan is with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Hu Jun is studying for a master's degree at the St Petersburg Conservatory of Music in Russia.

"We three are almost the same age and we all play in the style of the Russian school," says Zhang. "Hu has brought new techniques to our trio from his studies in Russia. We have performed together in concerts many times before."

The 90-minute concert will feature Mozart's Piano Trio No. 5 in G K564, Mendelssohn's Trio for Piano and Strings No. 1 in D Minor, Op 49, Haydn's Piano Trio in G Major and Brahms' Piano Trio In B, Op 8.

"We've carefully selected the pieces," says Zhang. "The works from Haydn to Brahms cover a period ranging from 1750 to 1850, from the classic to the romantic style."

Zhang says his favorite musician is Brahms, whose music is "very deep, philosophical" and features a restrained passion. "He had an excellent way to conceal his strong passion, which can be detected by listeners," he says.

(Shanghai Daily July 15, 2005)