Violin virtuoso Anne Sophie Mutter performs at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Tuesday evening, May 27, 2008. [Photo: ent.sina.com.cn]

Violin virtuoso Anne Sophie Mutter began two days of performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Tuesday evening.

At the debut performance, the German artist began with Bach's "Violin Concerto in E major" and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," which were specially selected for the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing.

She followed with the "Air on the G String," an adaptation of Johann Sebastian Bach's famous Air by August Wilhelmj. The piece was played slowly and freely, intertwining the song's harmony and melody to express Mutter's sympathy for the Chinese earthquake victims.

The Chinese website Sina quotes Mutter as saying that the May 12th disaster gave her China tour new meaning, thus she hoped that the "Air on the G String" could become a source of help and comfort to those who lost so much after the earthquake.

Mutter was accompanied by Norwegian symphony orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists.

Mutter began her Asian tour in Shanghai on May 25th. After her two days of performances in China's capital city, the tour will continue through June 10th in South Korea and Japan.

Before the tour, Mutter appealed to musicians from around the world to get involved in helping the relief efforts in China.

Mutter, now 45, impressed Herbert von Karajan with her spectacular performance at the Lucerne Festival in 1976. He praised her as "the greatest music prodigy since the young Menuhin" and invited her to the Salzburg Music Festival the following year. Karajan cooperated with her regularly in five concerts a year.