Tales of The Spring Rain

After decades of drifting aimlessly in a musical equivalent of Superman's Phantom Zone, virtuoso guitarist Uli Jon Roth (who along with countryman Michael Schenker virtually wrote the Teutonic guitar hero scrolls during his spell with the Scorpions) finally stumbled upon a viable new creative framework with which to express his still formidable but often mislaid talents. Doing away with the psychedelic Hendrix worship that had branded him both a pale imitation and dated anachronism throughout the '80s and '90s, Roth rediscovered sure footing via the Transcendental Sky Guitar concept, which combined his expertise on a custom-designed instrument (the seven-string Sky Guitar) with backing by a full-fledged orchestral ensemble…

There is no need to wait for winter end to feel how lovely spring is. We always look for it as season heralding something fair and beautiful to come into our life. Indeed, this is the most extraordinary season invented by nature. How beautiful, charming, gentle, magnificent and flawless it is! So much imbued with solemn music, heady fragrance, exceptional warmth, flowers and vivid colors… Its coming never fails to awaken our best feelings so that, having surrendered to them, we could delight in love, joy and happiness to the full. Jane Maximova: "When you listen to a new piece of music it provokes either feeling of the past or that of the future. "Four Seasons - Russian Spring" is one of the few albums provoking feeling of the future, the very feeling we usually experience in springtime".

Inspired by the image of a violin melody ‘flying off’, Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng’s virtuosic three-movement concerto Let Fly interweaves Chinese and Western classical elements. Vivid legends of astrological animals inform Zodiac Tales, a tour de force concerto for orchestra. Reflecting the city of Suzhou’s ancient, continuous cultural heritage, traditional nostalgia fuses with contemporary rhythms in the exciting Suzhou Overture. These works are featured here in their world premiere recordings.