When music became a prayer

Concert pianist Yirui Weng, 32, grew up in a communist, atheist family in China, where religion played no part in her life. Music, however, always did. As a gifted young pianist, she immersed herself in the great works of Western classical music — including sacred compositions whose words and meanings were largely unknown to her.

When Yirui moved to Italy to pursue her musical studies, curiosity began to replace indifference. While playing Vivaldi’s Gloria, she found herself drawn not just to the beauty of the music, but to its unfamiliar language: “Lamb of God?” “Son of the Father?” What, she wondered, did these words mean — and why had composers been inspired by them for centuries?

After meeting a Chinese priest in Milan, Yirui began attending catechism classes and encountered the teachings of Jesus for the first time. Ideas such as forgiveness and loving one’s enemies challenged everything she had been taught growing up. She began to pray — quietly at first — and noticed something unexpected: it changed the way she played.

In 2023, Yirui was baptised.

In this edition of Heart and Soul, the BBC’s John Laurenson travels to Rome to meet Yirui Weng. We hear her play, sing, teach and pray as she reflects on her journey of faith and explores a deeper question: why is music — from the Muslim call to prayer to gospel and sacred choral works — such a powerful and universal expression of belief?

Producer/presenter: John Laurenson
Series producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

Photo description: Yirui Eleonora Weng , pianist and opera vocal coach based between Italy and China, specializing in Italian opera repertoire and cross-cultural vocal performance. Photo credit is: Yirui Eleonora Weng )