22/06/2025 –

In recent months, Xavier has been working on the overture to his opera The Dutch Mandarin: a solo guqin composition titled Calligraphy, inspired by the calligraphic works of Robert van Gulik. The piece received its world premiere on June 22, 2025, performed by Zeng Dingfu (曾鼎夫) at the He Lüting Concert Hall of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Calligraphy is notable for being the first solo guqin composition conceived as the overture to an opera. Both Robert van Gulik and his semi-historical literary creation, Judge Dee, were fond of the guqin and practiced it in their spare time.

The piece was subsequently performed on December 2, 2025, at the Opera Hall of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. On that occasion, a fragment of Calligraphy was performed by Fang Jingyu (方静宇) during the 2025 “Experience China” Student Exchange Event, attended by the Minister of Education and the head of the China Scholarship Council.

Another performance of Calligraphy is planned for September 2026 at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre.