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BIS

Memories Lost / Chen Sa

$21.99

Details

Composer
SAY TYZEN QIGANG XILIN
Artist
Sa, Yiu-Kwong
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Mar 10, 2015
Catalog #
BIS-1974
UPC
7318599919744

About

The Chinese pianist Chen Sa (also known internationally as Sa Chen) has received much acclaim for her interpretations of composers such as Chopin, Rachmaninov and Ravel, but on the present disc she makes something of a return to her roots. In a (mostly) Chinese programme she presents a series of works – both solo and concertante – of which several deal with memories, nostalgia and the recreation of impressions. Opening with the only non-Chinese work – albeit here in a transcription for Chinese orchestra – Chen Sa takes us to Fazil Say's Anatolia, as it appears in the Turkish pianist-composer's Third Piano Concerto. A group of solo works by Chinese composers follows, with Hsiao Tyzen of Taiwan (b. 1938) and Wang Xiaohan of Beijing (b. 1980) both exploring their respective memories of home and of childhood. With Impromptu, the Australian-based Julian Yu took on the task of recreating his own improvisation into a written-out composition, while his colleague Chen Qigang, resident in France, found the inspiration for his work in the world of Chinese opera. The music of Chinese opera, in its many forms, also informs the closing work on the disc. Wang Xilin's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra received its première in 2010 from Chen Sa and the Basel Sinfonietta, but is here recorded in a version for Chinese orchestra. The concerto was conceived out of the composer's deep regret of the Cultural Revolution, which ended the careers and even the lives of so many musicians of his own generation. (Wang Xilin was born in 1937.) In the two concertos, Chen Sa receives the eminent support of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra under its chief conductor Chung Yiu-Kwong. This team has appeared on four previous releases from BIS, and has received worldwide critical acclaim for their performances, 'evoking delicate playfulness, high drama, or the tranquillity of a misty Chinese valley with equal atmosphere' (Classic FM Magazine) and 'producing a rich multihued soundscape, a vibrant rhythmic drive, and spectacular ensemble virtuosity' (American Record Guide).

Tracklist 12 tracks

  1. 1 I. Silence of Anatolia 08:16
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Silence of Anatolia
    Duration
    08:16
    Composer
    Fazıl Say
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  2. 2 II. Obstinacy 04:32
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Obstinacy
    Duration
    04:32
    Composer
    Fazıl Say
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  3. 3 III. Cadenza 03:42
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Cadenza
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Fazıl Say
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  4. 4 IV. Elegy 05:10
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Elegy
    Duration
    05:10
    Composer
    Fazıl Say
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  5. 5 Etude, Op. 55, "Farewell" 06:24
    Track
    5
    Title
    Etude, Op. 55, "Farewell"
    Duration
    06:24
    Composer
    Tyzen Hsiao
    Performer
    Sa Chen
  6. 6 Impromptu, Op. 9 03:21
    Track
    6
    Title
    Impromptu, Op. 9
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Julian Yu
    Performer
    Sa Chen
  7. 7 Instants d'un Opera de Pekin (2004 version) 11:19
    Track
    7
    Title
    Instants d'un Opera de Pekin (2004 version)
    Duration
    11:19
    Composer
    Qigang Chen
    Performer
    Sa Chen
  8. 8 A Lost Diary: A Song in the Childhood 04:22
    Track
    8
    Title
    A Lost Diary: A Song in the Childhood
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Xiaohan Wang
    Performer
    Sa Chen
  9. 9 Memories of Home, Op. 49: No. 2. Memory 02:53
    Track
    9
    Title
    Memories of Home, Op. 49: No. 2. Memory
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Tyzen Hsiao
    Performer
    Sa Chen
  10. 10 I. Allegro minaccioso 08:40
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Allegro minaccioso
    Duration
    08:40
    Composer
    Xilin Wang
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  11. 11 II. Passacaglia: Adagio 09:13
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Passacaglia: Adagio
    Duration
    09:13
    Composer
    Xilin Wang
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung
  12. 12 III. Allegretto 12:19
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Allegretto
    Duration
    12:19
    Composer
    Xilin Wang
    Performer
    Sa Chen
    Ensemble
    Taipei Chinese Orchestra
    Conductor
    Yiu-Kwong Chung