Chinese

Peter Eötvös about his Chinese Opera:
"My Chinese Opera has little to do with the authentic Chinese opera. In China, every province has its own theatrical style which is named after the province in question. Thenceforth this style remains unchanged in performance. Chinese Opera is music written specifically for theatrical and cinematographic presentation; it is the music of my own limited "province". The dedications to various directors and producers are at the same time character and tempo indications: the ceremonious stage build-up in Brook's work, Bondy's lyrically supple beauty, Grüber's streaming polyphony, and the hard, mountainous verticality of Chéreau."

The Chinese composer and violinist Ma Sicong was born in Haifeng in Guangdong (Canton) province in 1912, and was among the relatively few Chinese musicians of his generation to study abroad. He settled in America in 1967. The music on this disc embraces contrasting moods, each imbued with Ma Sicong’s abiding love for his homeland and combining Chinese inspiration with Western musical techniques. Shortly after composing the Rondo No. 4 he wrote this heartbreaking entry in his diary: ‘When can I end my exile? Nobody knows.’

"Chinese Burn" is a 1997 single by British duo Curve, featuring six remixes of the song plus two other cuts. This was considered their comeback effort and was released by Universal.

Here is the next installment of our survey of Chinese Piano music. In addition to including He Luting's ubiquitous Buffalo Boy's Flute, and another version of Ding Shande's popular "Children's Suite," the current program includes several rarities that make it more than worth the bandwidth to download! First, there are several works by Jiang Wenye (known as Koh Bunya in Japan) - whom we will hear more from in the near future; then there are rarities by various composers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, but without a doubt, the jewel in the crown is a stunning reading of Chou Wenchung's miniature masterpiece, "The Willows Are New" - a stunning essay in translating the musical language of the Chinese Guqin zither to the modern concert grand piano.

At the time Philip Bailey persuaded Phil Collins to produce his second solo album, Chinese Wall, Collins was among the hottest pop stars in the world. The advantage to that, of course, is the exposure it affords, and after the merely modest success of his debut solo album, Continuation, Bailey needed the reflected glory. On the other band, it's hard to shine yourself in such a glare, and although Bailey's name was on the gold-selling hit single "Easy Lover," a duet with Collins that helped the album take off, it's Collins' singing and drumming that one remembers.

Here is the next installment in our survey of 20th century Chinese piano music. The current program
a truly fascinating selection of works by several names well-known to western audiences: Long Zhou, Chen Yi and Bright Sheng - all currently residing in the US. The music on this disc is surprisingly "percussive" and at times, even "jazzy."