Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

"The two main themes of the concerto are a Chinese folk tune and a Jewish melody. The entire structural layout of Maayani’s piano concerto was profoundly influenced by the adoption of the Chinese tune, and its mixture with elements of Jewish music [results in] a highly colorful and richly textured development. It seems as if a live dialogue between those two ancient nations, the Chinese and the Jewish, is taking place... Although Maayani follows traditional guidelines in this composition, the way he weeds out the old form in order to integrate the new into his work is a model that our Chinese composers can make use of. Maayani’s superb skills in traditional methods of composition creatively join together the significant part of characteristic Jewish music (ornaments, compound beat, compound harmony, etc.) in the masterwork with Chinese pentatonic scales. He succeeds in creating magnificent Oriental scenery in a Mediterranean style." (Zi Mo, ‘Music Weekly’ Journal, 09 Jun 2006)