Various - New Music China
Review by Joseph Gier
New Music China is a compilation album featuring a diverse range of artists from China. The album offers a unique blend of traditional and contemporary Chinese music, showcasing the country's rich musical heritage and its modern creative energy.
The album features a variety of instruments and styles, including guzheng, erhu, pipa, and electronic music. Each track has its own distinct flavor, from the haunting melodies of "Moonlit Night on the Spring River" to the upbeat rhythms of "The Song of the Fishermen."
One of the standout tracks is "The Sound of the Wind," which features a beautiful duet between a guzheng and a flute. The haunting melody is both meditative and uplifting, evoking the natural beauty of the Chinese landscape.
Another highlight is "The Butterfly Lovers," a classical piece that tells the tragic love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The piece is performed with great sensitivity and emotion, capturing the heart-wrenching beauty of the tale.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: various-new-music-china.rar- MP3 size: 70.3 mb
- FLAC size: 948.1 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Heroes Cross The Dadu River | 4:15 | |
| Miao Love Chant | 0:45 | |
| Quarrelling Ducks | 3:55 | |
| Kong Gu Liu Shui (Valley Stream) | 6:25 | |
| Nightsongs | 1:15 | |
| Monologue Part 1 (Excerpt) | 3:00 | |
| Liu Shui (Flowing Water) | 2:15 | |
| The Green Plains | 1:50 | |
| Xie Zi | 3:40 | |
| Zui Jiu | 1:30 | |
| Welcome Spring | 3:25 | |
| Plucking Instruments Suite (Excerpt) | 3:25 | |
| A Hundred Birds Calling | 4:30 | |
| Electronic Dirge | 0:30 | |
| Nan Wu A Mi Tou Fo | 2:25 | |
| Tiao Ba, Tiao Ba (Dance Dance) | 1:30 | |
| Yi Feng (Ancient Wind) (Excerpt) | 3:00 | |
| Antique Air | 5:00 | |
| I Wor Kuen (The Boxers) | 2:50 |
Images
Catalog Numbers
Tellus #19Labels
TellusListen online
- lytte på nettet
- ouvir online
- online luisteren
- lyssna på nätet
- escuchar en línea
- kuunnella verkossa
- online anhören
- ascolta in linea
- écouter en ligne
Formats
- Cassette
- Compilation
- White
- Dolby
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Engineered At | Studio Pass |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Calligraphy | Huang Po Lian |
| Compilation Producer | Carol Parkinson, Claudia Gould, Joseph Nechvatal |
| Editor | Carol Parkinson, Claudia Gould, Joseph Nechvatal |
| Cover | Zhang Wei |
| Edited By | Debbie McBride |
| Engineer | Alex Gardner |
Notes
- A1: hit TV theme of itinerant Buddhist Monk with refrain chant "Nan Wu A Mi Tou Fo" to the Amithaba Budha. Shanghai Record Co.
- A2: solos on zheng 21 string zither, an example of a traditional instrument with western accompaniment. China Record Co.
- A3: Chinese rock by the now banned Shanghai pop singer. China Record Co.
- A4: popular electronic dance music from Shanghai. China Audio Video Co.
- A5: "crosstalk" comedy which illustrates the musical tonality of national Mandarin Chinese. China Record Co.
- A6: It was originally a folk instrument played outdoors at funeral, marriage and other processions. Recently it has been elevated to a solo virtuoso status as "people's music." The basic melody and sturcture of this selectionis notated in an elemental number system with improvisation of the bird sounds. Bai Li Record Co.
- A7: funeral music from Taiwan. Souna horn and percussion in a procession on a truck through Taipei traffic.
- A8: a new work as a revival of traditional percussion music from Xian, an ancient capital in northwest China.
- A9: The Miao people of southwest China have a tradition of young people in their late teens singing in the spring festival. The boys and girls line up and sing romantic phrases which are returned by the girls. The girls choose boys by their vocal quality and improvising abilities. The couples pair off to retire to the woods. If all goes well, they return to announce their marriages.
- A10: The pipa is a four-string lute which came to China from Persia over 1,000 years ago. Here it is featured in the Long March of the People's Liberation Army in the 1930s. Pacific Audio Video Co.
- A11: This work features the guqin, the ancient 7-string zither favored by the Taoist and Confucian literati. Its soft fluid sound is the essence of traditional mysticism. The guquin was banned as reactionary during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976. It is now enjoying a revival based on its unique musical qualities and special position in Chinese culture. Shanghai Book Traders Recording.
- B1: from "Bamboo That Snaps Back" record. Fred Houn is Chinese-America, and the leader of the Afro-Asian Music Ensemble. His opera, "Chinaman's Chance," dramatized the epic struggle of the Chinese in America.
- B2: for traditional ensemble. Chen Yi was born in Guangzhou (Canton) and her many works have been widely performed in Asia and Europe.
- B3: for solo cell (excerpt). Ge Gan Ru is a composer of dynamic eclecticism whose works have been performed by the Erick Hawkins Dance Co. and Spectrum Musicae.
- B4: for traditional ensemble. Zhou Long is originally from Beijing and a graduate of the Central Conservatory. This work won a prize in the National Composition Competition of China in 1984.
- B5: Master of the ancient 7-string zither, Wu Wen Guang performs traditional scores with a bravura that transforms the most ancient Chinese music into striking new performances.
- B6: Tan Dun is a graduate of the Central Conservatory and is now active in New York. He is now working on an opera, "Nine Songs."
- B7: excerpt from score for the award-winning film about immigrant life in Chinatown. Hayman is a composer, Sinologist and editor of Ear magazine.
- B8: commissioned by Kai Takei Moving Earth Dance Co. Takakii Masuko, percussion. Her works range from dramatic orchestral to traditional Chinese to this textural soundscape.
- Dolby B/EQ Normal
Barcodes
Other (Tape Sides A & B): CM1126
