4 Virtuosi Play Chinese Traditional Music

Chun Bo, So; Li, Yuexia; Fung, Lam; Kuen, Wong; Kah Chi, Loo

The Chinese music here recorded is of a thoroughly traditional kind. There are, of course, certain fundamental differences between Chinese and Western music, exemplified in the music for the qin, the ancient Chinese zither, with its emphasis on a melodic line of great subtlety, in which nuances of timbre are of great importance, coupled with its symbolic significance. While much of Western music is abstract, Chinese music tends to be programmatic, offering usually a general picture rather than a detailed sequence of events, although there are occasional examples of the latter. The present collection includes examples of regional music as well as two examples of recent compositions in traditional style. The nine pieces can be classified as follows: Moon in Xunyang is an example of Jiangnan music, traditional folk music of the Shanghai region. Bells from the Temple, Sorrow of Zhaojun, Autumn Moon in the Han Palace and Flying Birds are examples of Cantonese ensemble pieces. Beyond the Frontier and Chanting in the Temple are transcribed, the first from a well-known Tang Dynasty piece for pipa (Chinese lute) and the second from a work for qin (traditional Chinese zither). Jin Chun Luo and Resentment are original compositions, the first based in Chaozhou music. Four instruments are used for the present recording, erhu (two-string fiddle), pipa (Chinese lute), zheng (zither) and xiao (end-blown flute), played by Hong Kong musicians Lam Fung, So Chun Bo, Wong Kuen and Loo Kah Chi. The music is played by various combinations of these instruments in quartet, trio or duet, with one solo for erhu, Flying Birds.

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