Chinese Recorder Concertos
Eastern works for flutes transcribe admirably for the Western recorder
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Label: OUR Recordings
Magazine Review Date: 1/2011
Media Format: Hybrid SACD
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
Catalogue Number: 6220603

Author: K Smith
Tang, the head of the composition department at China’s Central Conservatory, offers a rousing opener, ostensibly inspired by Miao singing styles but often sounding more like a cross between Copland’s prairie music and Elmer Bernstein’s film scores. Sheng’s Flute Moon marks a clear departure from his earlier works, the unrelenting aggression of H’un (“Lacerations”) now giving way to unapologetic lyricism. Chen, unsurprisingly, reaches a wholly different level, with a range of emotional states and contrasting playing techniques that fit Petri’s instrument and personal playing style with bespoke elegance.
The composers from the People’s Republic stand in stark contrast to Taiwan-born Ma, who was an established composer when his younger mainland colleagues were picking rice in the Cultural Revolution. His Bamboo Flute Concerto (1984) may not have Chen’s emotional breadth or Sheng’s orchestrational brilliance but its pioneering fusion of Chinese sonority and Western form radiates with a thrill of discovery that practically percolates off the page.
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