Music of the Pipa [Import]

1. Shi Mian Mai Fu / Ambuscade From Ten Sides

2. Fei Hua Dian Cui / Floating Petals Decorating The Green Leaves

3. Ping Sha Luo Yan / Wild Geese Descend On The Smooth Sand

4. Gao Shan Liu Shui / High Mountain, Flowing Streams

5. Yang Chun Bai Xue / Snow On A Sunny Spring Day

6. Yue Er Gao / The Moon On High

7. Yi Zu Wu Qu / Dance Of The Yi Tribe

Music of the Pipa,Lui Pui-Yuen,Wea,World Music

Average customer rating: delightful experience Excellent Compilation with Marvelous Tracks Beyond the first Silk Road CD Excelent!!! One of the Best !

Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ma, Yo-Yo | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan Obrigado Brazil Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone The Essential Yo-Yo Ma ASIN: B0007TFHEI Release Date: 2005-04-05

Tracks:

1. Mohini (Enchantment)
2. Oasis
3. Distant Green Valley
4. Akhalqalaqi Dance
5. Echoes Of A Lost City
6. Mountains Are Far Away
7. Yanzi (Swallow Song)
8. Battle Remembered
9. Summer In The High Grassland
10. Kor Arab (The Blind Arab)
11. Shikasta (Minstrel's Song)
12. Night At The Caravanserai
13. Gallop Of A Thousand Horses
14. Tarang (Currents)
15. Sacred Cloud Music

Amazon.com

It is a perilous proposition when genres clash--and no such collaboration is more potentially fraught than when improvisation-trained folk musicians sit in with Western classical instrumentalists, who are taught to interpret a printed score. The renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has devoted much of his professional life to such intercultural experiments. But the traditions of nations situated along the ancient Silk Road, which began in the Far East, meandered through Asia and terminated in Europe, are especially dear to him. These lushly arranged pieces range from moody scenic vistas to percussive Turkish hip-shakers and they make very pleasant listening. If they owe more to the European canon than the ethnic sources that inspired them, they are also the result of respectful give-and-take between a team of acknowledged masters. And nobody is more of a team player than Maestro Ma, an impassioned, fearless musical seeker and a gracious, deferential colleague. --Christina Roden

Interview with Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma speaks about his latest adventures involved in this new installment of the ongoing Silk Road Project--an epoch-making collaboration among musical colleagues. Read our special interview to learn more about Ma's musical philosophy.

Amazon.com

It is a perilous proposition when genres clash--and no such collaboration is more potentially fraught than when improvisation-trained folk musicians sit in with Western classical instrumentalists, who are taught to interpret a printed score. The renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has devoted much of his professional life to such intercultural experiments. But the traditions of nations situated along the ancient Silk Road, which began in the Far East, meandered through Asia and terminated in Europe, are especially dear to him. These lushly arranged pieces range from moody scenic vistas to percussive Turkish hip-shakers and they make very pleasant listening. If they owe more to the European canon than the ethnic sources that inspired them, they are also the result of respectful give-and-take between a team of acknowledged masters. And nobody is more of a team player than Maestro Ma, an impassioned, fearless musical seeker and a gracious, deferential colleague. --Christina Roden

Interview with Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma speaks about his latest adventures involved in this new installment of the ongoing Silk Road Project--an epoch-making collaboration among musical colleagues. Read our special interview to learn more about Ma's musical philosophy.

Customer Reviews:

delightful experience.......2007-07-04

this collection of music is quite a cultural experience. I've been hooked since I opened the cover!

Excellent Compilation with Marvelous Tracks.......2007-01-20

I enjoyed this compilation of Silk Road music very much. It delivers a nice, diverse sample of music from the region. My favorite track of the CD is Shikasta, but I like the others as well.

Beyond the first Silk Road CD.......2006-11-23

Yo-Yo Ma went beyond indeed. The first CD with Silk Road ensemble (When Strangers Meet) was inconsistent and somewhat experimental. This one however, is superb. As if in the 5 years the musicians got to know each other (but in truth, only a few musicians are the same). 23 traditional Eastern instruments are listed plus a number of western strings and other percussion was used. So the music on this CD gets my full attention, and as the title of first track suggests, you (can) get enchanted.
The tracks are ordered into three parts: Enchantments (1-5), Origins (6-9) and New Beginnings. First track is strangely familiar (like it was used in some film, but there is no mention of this). In third track this theme gets Chinese interpretation. The style from one track to the other changes, so you can't get bored or overexcited. Second is simply very nice, the fourth great intro of Armenian wind instrument duduk (played by famous Gevorg Dabaghyan), accompanied by percussion mostly, albeit the piece is short. 5 is gentle with cello and xun (Chinese ocarina), 6 orchestral from slow to cool, 7 again gentle with cello and vocal, 8 starts with yearning duduk and turns into orchestral battle, 9 cello and percussion. Track 10 is the only one with prominent vocal (love song) and introduces us to the last part of CD, which are more like jam sessions of all instruments. 11 and 13 are very lively. The last one, track 15, brings us a new interpretation of very ancient Chinese melody played on pipa.

Some would probably say this CD is commercialized. Personally I don't see any wrongdoings in this as long the music stays a high quality one. For the more authentic Silk Road one can always buy The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan.

Excelent!!!.......2006-01-15

One of the best concerts I attended in my life (so far... :-)...)

One of the Best !.......2005-12-06

This album has captured the soul of the Silkroad. There is not a single track in this album I don't like. I've been listening to it over and over and over again since I first got it. I think it's much better than the first one.

Average customer rating: All tracks are great but..... magic Minimalist composer NONPAREIL Great CD overall, but not his best work Overly accessible

Philip Glass : Orion Manufacturer: Orange Mountain Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glass | Glass, Philip | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Philip Glass : Les Enfants Terribles Philip Glass : Symphony No. 8 Symphony No. 6, Plutonian Ode Philip Glass : The Voyage: An Opera in Three Acts Philip Glass: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 ASIN: B0009B835O Release Date: 2005-04-01

Tracks:

1. Australia
2. Interlude: Australia & China
3. China
4. Canada
5. Interlude: Canada & The Gambia
6. The Gambia
7. Brazil
8. Interlude: Brazil & India
9. India
10. Greece

Amazon.com

Orion was commissioned for the 2004 Athens Cultural Olympiad. Composer Philip Glass's desire was to create a "truly multi-cultural, international music work." Those familiar with Glass's music will have an idea about what to expect---minimalist motifs repeated over and over, subtly changing both rhythmically and harmonically. But this 90-minute work devotes each of its nine sections to a particular nation: one each to Brazil, Canada, Australia, India, China, The Gambia, and Greece and three in combination. Glass uses instruments indigenous to each country, giving the work a terrific array of colors and flavors. The dark gruntings of the didgeridoo are made even more effective when contrasted with the dainty Chinese pipa, a sort-of cross between the lute and mandolin; the sounds of Nova Scotian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac are sharp edged and folksy; and there is a duet for high wind instrument and sitar. The finale is a Greek song with all the instrumentalists chiming in. "Orion" seems somewhat formless---it's not a concerto or symphony---but its series of movements have great beauty and tonal diversity and keep the ear fascinated. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Album Description

Orion is a live recording of the ninety-minute work commissioned by Arts, Dance, and Music Productions which premiered in Athens on June 3, 2004 (with The Philip Glass Ensemble) as part of the Cultural Olympiad in Greece. The recording features Eleftheria Arvanitaki vocalist, Mark Atkins on didjerido, Wu Man on pipa, Gaurav Mazumdar performing a sitar work by Ravi Shakar, Ashley MacIsaac on fiddle, Foday Musa Suso on kora, and the Brazilian ensemble Uakti. The American Premiere on June 21, 2005, will be held at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL.

Customer Reviews:

All tracks are great but............2006-12-08

All tracks on this cd are great but just wait 'till you hear " Brazil" . fantastic!!

magic.......2006-11-10

This two-discs set brings you all over the world. It gives you a taste of different cultures and also the feeling that we all are the same, on the small grain os sand that Earth is, as it appears from the sky.

Minimalist composer NONPAREIL.......2006-11-07

While I enjoy the work of many contemporary composers, Philip Glass is the only one I can think of who has yet to disappoint me. I have been entranced by every piece of his work that I have purchased and this one is no exception. It is not the technique that enchants as much as the soul and creative energy that emanates from each selection. There are other minimalist composers, but none that I have heard who can imbue their music with the sweeping, mesmerizing, heart embracing touch that is the hallmark of Glass's music. Orion is a feast for the mind and the spirit.

Great CD overall, but not his best work.......2006-07-28

Though I'm a huge fan of Glass, and love most of his work, I feel that there were portions taken directly from other songs. I know that he is a minimalist composer, but Brazil, on the album, sounds like he took an excerpt from Aguas de Amazonia and added a couple more repeats in there.

Yes, I feel harshly about a portion or two of the CD, but it is an overall enjoyable piece of music to listen to. Glass does do a wonderful job at portraying the places of the world that he inteds in the music. So, as I said: overall, very enjoyable, but not his best work.

Overly accessible.......2006-03-17

Just as the constellation Orion can be seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres, this collaborative work can appear within the aesthetic range of many musical continents. In widening the threshold; however, subtlety of contrast is lost. Celestial music need not sound like "space music" and , unfortunately, there are stretches of such stooping to popular tastes. Beautifully performed. Helpful liner notes. Brilliant juxtapositions--my favorite being "Canada", "Interlude: Canada & The Gambia", "The Gambia". How often do we get to have Ashley MacIsaac and Foday Musa Suso on the same album, much less playing in the same piece?

Average customer rating: The Ghosts are in your memory! A COLD, NEEDLE SPRAY SHOWER ON A HOT SUMMER'S DAY For musical masochists only This is the Avant Gard kind of Kronos that i can't get into so much Cats yowling

Ghost Opera Joan Jeanrenaud , Dun Tan , Kronos Quartet , David Harrington , Hank Dutt , John Sherba , and Wu-Man Zheng Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Kronos Quartet | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Water Passion After St Matthew Symphony 1997 Bitter Love Hero Tan Dun: Out of Peking Opera, for Solo Violin & Orchestra / Death & Fire, Dialogue with Paul Klee / Orchestral Theatre II: Re, for Divided Orchestra, Bass Voice & Audience with Two Conductors ASIN: B000005J4K Release Date: 1997-03-18

Tracks:

1. Ghost Opera For String Quartet And Pipa With Water, Stones, Paper, And Metal: Act I: Bach, Monks, And Shakespeare Meet In Water
2. Ghost Opera For String Quartet And Pipa With Water, Stones, Paper, And Metal: Act II: Earth Dance
3. Ghost Opera For String Quartet And Pipa With Water, Stones, Paper, And Metal: Act III: Dialogue With 'Little Cabbage'
4. Ghost Opera For String Quartet And Pipa With Water, Stones, Paper, And Metal: Act IV: Metal And Stone
5. Ghost Opera For String Quartet And Pipa With Water, Stones, Paper, And Metal: Act V: Song oOf Paper

Customer Reviews:

The Ghosts are in your memory!.......2007-02-23

Three disclaimers to start my review:
1. I like Avant-Grade/Experiental music.
2. I adore Chinese music!
3. I generally do NOT like Tan Dun's music.
That said, I have listened through Tan Dun's "Ghost Opera" five times in a row since I purchased it. To neatly pigeonhole it, the music is experimental, multi-cultural and for lack of a better term, "post modern." Tan Dun is one of the best-known representatives of the "Sent Down"/"New Wave" generation of composers. (Others include the CHEN Yi, ZHOU Long, CHEN Qigang, HE Xiantian and GUO Wenjing). Growing up during the Cultural Revolution, these young men and women were sent into China's hinterlands both to represent the revolutionary values of the Party and to share in the experiences of the peasants first hand. These musically gifted teenagers absorbed - and several of them catalogued and transcribed -hundreds of folk songs. When the Cultural Revolution ended, this same group was among the first students admitted to China's newly re-opened conservatories and universities and were the first to have exposure to the modern music of the west.
TAN Dun is certainly more fortunate than most of his generation, is better marketed and is a bit of a musical chameleon in comparison. His scores for Hero, Crouching Tiger and most recently The Banquet are very different from his "concert" music. Yet there are similarities. What sounds audacious in a concert is perfectly suitable in a soundtrack for a epic martial arts film.

I do not know if TAN Dun would agree, but upon my listening to this piece, I found that the "Ghosts" alluded to in the title are indeed, the Ghosts of Memory. Passages of Bach weave in and out of textures generated both by natural sounds (TAN's signature use of water sounds...), traditional Chinese gestures (brilliantly performed by WU Man on the Pipa) and extended playing techniques from the Kronos Quartet. The use of the voice - often in hushed whispers or fragmentary vocalizations - is ANYTHING but jarring. To even suggest that this music may have been influenced by Peking Opera is ill-informed. This music sounds more like George Crumb at his most "oriental", poetic and dream-like rather than anything you'd ever hear in Chinatown.
FINAL WORDS: While not a fan of this composer, I found the music poetic, creatively scored, brilliantly performed, at times quite beautiful and profoundly sad. To the ignoramus who likened this to Kabuki, well, first off Kabuki is JAPANESE! This composer is from CHINA! I think there is a difference! And whoever heard "yowling"... what were YOU listening to? JEESH!

A COLD, NEEDLE SPRAY SHOWER ON A HOT SUMMER'S DAY.......2007-02-09

I'm fortunate because I brought to the first hearing of Tan Dun's GHOST OPERA, a love of string quartette music; a love of percussion music of all kinds; Cinese Opera music, as well as contemporary Avant-Guard compositions that incorporate drumming, strings and mixed sounds, including voice. Coming to GHOST OPERA with wide listening experience, allowed me to focus on the limited numbe and t ypes of instruments used, as well as on the non-instruments used to produce music, and to focus on the way these sources were chosen to form patterns. I did not expect melodies, and did not feel the need for them, yet when they came, though they very seldom appeared, I found I could enjoy them as arbitrary choices on the composer's palate.

There are five sectins in this GHOST OPER. Myself, I did not find the titles of these pieces anything other than irrelevant. The music, overall, is abstract, and nearly impossible to describe.

All in all, if you enjoy to experience something very different from the usual, the hackneyed, this piece has much to offer. As a piece of chamber music it has everyting one hopes for; it is intimate, spare, compelling, dramatic, comic sometimes, and always demanding or challenging. It is ear candy, both sweet and sour -- a prickly confection -- and wuld sit well on a program with the latter Bartok quartets, or some Schoenberg or Berg equivalent. (German elecronic music of the 70s might appear more human, beside it.) The difference would be, perhaps, that whereas European quartets would be expected to sound well in an enclosed space or room, this (augmented) quartet suggests an enclosed space open to the sky. A garden, you see. Something to be played and listened to in a pavilion. This is music to clean the palate, so to speak; to scrape off of one's organs of perception, the mucus of the ordinary; the common place. This piece, like others of his pieces, help one experience the present more vividly.

For musical masochists only.......2006-04-03

CD's that I don't care for go into the charity box. This is one that went straight into the garbage (but I can always re-use the jewel case)

This is the Avant Gard kind of Kronos that i can't get into so much.......2005-09-18

i LOVE Kronos Quartet...got the chance recently to see them live performing "again" with Wu Man..doing a Terry Riley piece which put me into heaven, i didn't want them to stop, and didn't want to leave...therefore why wouldn't i wan't to hear some other work of theirs with Wu Man, and a composer whose movie music i've liked...
well it didn't pan out so well for my feeble brain, it's cute, it's crazy, it might be great to see live (or on the DVD of them), but it's not something i can listen to frequently, as background music...guess i like their more accessible stuff..Nuevo, Caravan, Pieces of Africa, etc.

Cats yowling.......2005-09-11

I don't care for this particular style of japanese music. It reminds me of something I saw called kabuki, a sort of opera. I would not have bought it knowing what I know now.

Average customer rating: Long Road to China East meets modern Magnificent great music! The Best World Music CD in Decades has Arrived

Pipa from a Distance Wu Man Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD China | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music China | Far East | Compilations | International | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | International General | International | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | International General | International | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Chinese Traditional and Contemporary Music Wu Man and Friends Chinese Music for the Pipa Eleven Centuries of Traditional Music of China Spirit on Two Strings ASIN: B00008RV0E Release Date: 2003-04-15

Tracks:

1. Invocation
2. Dancing!
3. Ancient Shadows
4. Journey
5. Hangzhou Blues
6. Vincent's Tune
7. Crescent Moon Over The Mountain
8. Ambushed Again
9. Full Circle
10. From A Distance
11. Bonus Track

Customer Reviews:

Long Road to China.......2006-11-14

It began for me like this, in 1989 or thereabouts, I was flipping through channels on the telly and happened upon the tail end of a documentary on China. I remember little of the program, save the ending. As the credits rolled a young Chinese woman was playing a stringed instrument that I thought at the time was a samisen (gives you an idea how long it had been since I'd seen one of those). I know now it was a pipa. Her performance was strikingly virtuosic. I was amazed at both her amazing technique and equally, the wonderful sounds she was coaxing from this unique instrument. Though I could see the pipa was lute-like, its sound reminded me of the guitar and the banjo, but with a level of sonority that dwarfed both. The player executed what American musicians would call trills and minor bends on the strings that gave the instrument an aural tactile quality that was quite haunting. I was blown away.

Flash ahead 17 years.

I was walking through the Xavier University Library near the magazine section and happened upon an issue of World Literature Today. Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma was on the cover and there was a blurb about his Silk Road Project. Being a fan of Ma, I decided to pull the mag and check out the article. On one of the pages there was a picture of Yo-Yo Ma, and two other musicians, one of them, a woman, playing a pipa. When I saw the instrument I immediately flashed back to the closing of the documentary 17 years before. The woman playing the pipa was Wu Man. Later, I came here to seek the Silk Road recordings for samples, then on a whim clicked on the link to Wu Man, saw pipa: from a distance, listened to samples and was instantly hooked.

Pipa from a distance is a remarkable recording. Wu Man manages to give the listener a taste of tradition and the contemporary, and at times the surreal. The pipa is the lute of China, with a history spanning two millennia. Its unique voice is not unlike the American banjo at times, but the pipa's dynamic range is far greater. Wearing artificial nails taped on all fingers of the right hand, a master pipa player can coax all manner of sounds from the instrument; individual notes can burst from the instrument in a staccato cascade, picking patterns that sound like rainfall, strings are sometimes trilled as in Blues, chords can be either delicate or thunderous. In capable hands, the pipa can be a formidable means of self expression, and Wu Man conjures the magical on this breathtaking recording.

The blend of musical forms is adventurous and amazing. There is the tranquil first track, "Invocation". Man wafts over the sounds of bells and e-bowed electric guitar, with the use of sound manipulation, the piece is both meditatively traditional, yet bordering on the mildly psychedelic.

"Dancing" is a joyous tune. This piece includes banjo and it compliments the pipa well. Their voices are similar, yet so different, as they call back and forth. The didgeridoo is used to good effect here and elsewhere on the recording.

"Journey" displays the lyrical side of the pipa. Lilting and graceful, yet powerful, Wu Man glides through the piece like a bird in flight. Tabla samples, shaker and didgeridoo provide gentle accompaniment. This is one of my favorites on the CD. I often leave it looped to bask in the beauty of it.

"Hangzhou Blues" was quite a surprise. Wu Man plugs in, connecting her pipa to a wah wah pedal and into an amp. I had this image of her sitting next to a Marshall stack, pipa induced feedback rising behind her. You'd think this wouldn't work, but it exceeded my expectations. The sound is otherworldly, and massive. I had to remind myself she was playing a pipa. This track stands out from the others in sheer daring. She doesn't overplay her hand, and her technique transferred well to the electric context. Hendrix would have loved it (of course, the pipa acoustically would have stunned him).

"Vincent's Tune" is another favorite. The piece slowly builds to a climax that made me think of Meredith Monk, the screeching "toy" used at the end comes very close to sounding like a human voice. The piece exudes an almost overwhelming exuberance.

The last track I'd like to comment on is one of the solo pipa pieces, "Ambushed Again" The pipa alone is incredible. As a solo instrument one can hear how versatile the pipa can be in the right hands. Wu Man bears down on the instrument, drawing out its subtleties and its thunder. Any rock guitarist could appreciate the edgy chordal passage of "Ambushed Again". Man's rhythmic sense shines through on this piece; darting back and forth like a boxer, until the pipa sounds like its being shaken to pieces.

This recording is a great place to start for the novice to pipa music. Here it is very accessible and beautifully produced. Still, one should not overlook the classical pipa music of China. Wu Man has a two disk set of this traditional music. "From A Distance" clearly shows how well she works in collaboration, but alone she is a wonder to behold. I can only hope I get the chance to see her live.

East meets modern.......2006-11-10

What an interesting CD. Pipa from a Distance presents an exciting blend of ancient styles and modern sounds. Very interesting to the ear. Some selections are unusual - almost irritating (but so is Led Zepplin and I own all of those CDs) - but overall a CD for the person who likes variety and sometimes the unusual.

Magnificent.......2005-02-15

Just can't praise this CD too highly.

I usually stick with classical music (Mozart, Stamitz etc) but this CD,has opened up a whole new dimension. I just play it over and over. Never get tired of it.

great music!.......2004-08-23

"Dancing" is my favorite song! I listen to this CD over and over, and never get tired of Wu Man's music.

The Best World Music CD in Decades has Arrived.......2003-04-25

Wu Man is to the pipa, the Chinese lute-like instrument, what Robert Fripp is to the guitar. There are no limits, there is only walking out into the garden to greet the future. The music here is ecstatically inspired and while the Cd begins and closes with sublime traditional tones, what happens in between is the stuff of dreams, of wonder, of giving oneself over to Music so that Music may take you into its confidence.
Not since King Crimson's "Discipline" have I been so thoroughly amazed and inspired by a sustained effort throughout an entire CD. This is not to say that Wu Man is replicating Fripp's Bartok meets Hendrix in style, but certainly in spirit.The opening "Invocation" is as quietly spiritual a piece as you are likely to hear. A bit like Fripp's Soundscapes before the roar of Crimson. "Dancing" is almost Beatle-like and absolutely inspiring. All through I kept expecting to hear McCartney, Lennon and Harrison chime in, and if you're sitting all through this number, you have serious enjoyment issues. "Ancient Spirit" and "Walking to the East" begin an hypnotic, polyrhythmic journey into another culture. Surely Wu Man's participation in Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble has given her a sense of adventure, and this sublimely sets the tone for the adventurous and blistering "Shanghai Blues", and here is where Fripp meets his match. The intensity of Wu Man's electric pipa is scorchingly awe-inspiring. This is as brilliant a display of electric blues as Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile, Slight Return." Stevie Ray, Jimi, and the remarkable Fripp would all pay homage to such protean fretwork. And it has a deep blues groove that is just fantastic. If you have ever seen Wu Man in concert, you know this girl can cook, and cook she does!
"Vincent's Tune" returns a sense of innocence to the proceeedings as it opens and closes with a sample from her young son on toy piano and voice. Very reminiscent of Yes's "Circus of Heaven." "White Crane Flying" is a zen like mesmerizing piece worthy of Takemitsu in its subtle complexities. "Ambushed Again" turns up an incendiary heat once more that is resolved in "Bamboo Dreams." Again, I would draw the analogy to Crimson's "Sheltering Sky", a polyrhythmic meditation.
As for the title track, I had steered clear of this disc for a few weeks because I dreaded the prospect that so intrepid a performer as Wu Man might have recorded the treacly pop tune of the same title. Imagine the overwhelming relief when I discovered that this is an original, as is the entire CD, composition setting a certain distance of reflection on the preceeding 50 minutes, before it closes with the hidden track that is just Wu Man singing, and her voice is gorgeous!
All in all, Wu Man has done that rare thing of advancing the art of a tradition with inspired new compositions. There are many wonderful interpreters of the canons of culture. There are few who take that culture on to an inspired new plane. Wu Man has done just that. I hope you will pick this CD up. I hope Amazon will promote it visibly on its site. This is worth the attention. All praise to Naxos for releasing it so affordably. This is the best 10 bucks you'll ever spend on music. Thank you deeply to Wu Man for sharing her vision and her art.

Average customer rating: Excellent renditions and arrangements of chinese folk tunes

Flowing Stream: Chinese Folk Songs by Zhou Long Zhou Long Manufacturer: Delos Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Chinasong Tales From the Cave Spirit Murmur Zhou Long: The Book of Songs Zhou Long: Rhymes ASIN: B000009SDZ Release Date: 1998-08-04

Tracks:

1. Chinese Folk Songs: Lan Hua Hua
2. Chinese Folk Songs: Driving The Mule Team
3. Chinese Folk Songs: The Flowing Stream
4. Chinese Folk Songs: Jasmin Flower
5. Chinese Folk Songs: A Horseherd's Mountain Song
6. Chinese Folk Songs: When Will the Aacia Bloom?
7. Chinese Folk Songs: A Single Bamboo Can Easily Bend
8. Chinese Folk Songs: Leaving Home
9. Poems from Tang: I. Hut Among The Bamboo
10. Poems from Tang: II. Old Fisherman
11. Poems from Tang: III. Hearing The Monk Xun Play The Qin
12. Poems from Tang: IV. Song Of Eight Unruly Tipsy Poets
13. Soul for String Quartet And Pipa

Customer Reviews:

Excellent renditions and arrangements of chinese folk tunes.......1998-11-03

I was skeptical at first of this particular CD, but the initial listening converted me. The Shanghai String does an excellent job of representing the feel and emotional content of these chinese folk tunes. Zhou Long arranged the traditional tunes for the quartet, and he did a magnificent job.

Average customer rating: Beautiful music to listen to while reading, painting...

Chinese Traditional Pipa Music Liu Fang Manufacturer: Oliver Sudden Prod ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music World Dance | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Chinese Traditional Yang-Qin Music Chinese Traditional Erhu Music Vol. 1 Chinese Traditional Zheng Music Chinese Traditional Erhu Music 2 Eleven Centuries of Traditional Music of China ASIN: B00000JFPM Release Date: 1997-05-15

Tracks:

1. The Great Wave Washes the Beach
2. Flying Snow Decorating the Green
3. Melody From A Bamboo House
4. The Love of the Wei River
5. The Dance of the Yi People
6. Spring Rain
7. The Romance of the Red River Valley
8. The Moon Is High
9. The Flower Festival

Album Description

Solo performer Liu Fang plays authentic instrumental pieces for the pipa, a 2000-year-old four-stringed Chinese lute. This extraordinary collection od digitally-recorded traditional compositions captures the pipa's unique and meditative sound. Complete with detailed liner notes in English, French and Chinese.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful music to listen to while reading, painting..........2002-01-04

meditating, dining, bonsai gardening... The pipa is a 2000 year old four stringed Chinese Lute. Want to get relaxed? Listen to this CD. The quality of sound on this recording is superb. Enjoy the pipa's unique and meditative sound.

Average customer rating: Beautiful and Soothing...

China: Music of the Pipa Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD China | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music China | Far East | Compilations | International | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Chinese Bamboo Flute Music Shakuhachi - The Japanese Flute ASIN: B000005IWR Release Date: 1991-04-17

Tracks:

1. Shi Mian Mai Fu (Ambuscade From Ten Sides)
2. Fei Hua Dian Cui (Floating Petals Decorating The Green Leaves)
3. Ping Sha Luo Yan (Wild Geese Descend On The Smooth Sand)
4. Gao Shan Liu Shui (High Mountain, Flowing Streams)
5. Yang Chun Bai Xue (Snow On A Sunny Spring Day)
6. Yue Er Gao (The Moon On High)
7. Yi Zu Wu Qu (Dance Of The Yi Tribe)

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and Soothing..........2003-03-04

That's the best way I can describe this wonderful music. It is great background music and very much enjoyable as one cooks, paints, meditates, or just relaxes. It is very pleasant to have when greeting guests for that Chinese meal you prepare. This music should be played in restaurants, instead of pop music (as many Chinese restaurants play pop). It would certainly be more inviting...

Average customer rating:

Song of Consonance: Master of Chinese Music, Vol. 1 Manufacturer: Trad. Crossroads ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00009L4ZS Release Date: 2003-06-10

Tracks:

1. Moonlight Over the Spring River
2. Rainbow Dance
3. Silk-And-Bamboo Music
4. Birds Singing In the Tranquil Mountains
5. Henan Folk Tune
6. Ancient Battlefield
7. Song Of Consonance-Yan: Prelude 1
8. Song Of Consonance-Da Xu: Prelude 2
9. Song Of Consonance-Song 1
10. Song Of Consonance-Song 2
11. Song Of Consonance-Song 3
12. Song Of Consonance-Song 4
13. Song Of Consonance-Qu: Dance 1
14. Song Of Consonance-Qu: Dance 2
15. Song Of Consonance-Qu: Dance 3
16. Song Of Consonance-Luan: Finale
17. River Melody

Average customer rating: an eastern western

Chen-Yi: Sparkle Manufacturer: Composers Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000I0UD Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

1. Sparkle
2. Song In Winter
3. Qi
4. Duo Ye
5. Shuo
6. As In A Dream
7. Near Distance

Customer Reviews:

an eastern western.......2004-09-22

the label program of c.r.i. recommends the finest chinese modern classical music ... some notes here for the chinese are outstanding avantgarde. leaving all traditions ... for us these music is under another level common cultural ground, composers like zorn and others in the avantgarde are marked influenced ... here you can hear the difference ... this music is more concentraded, more worked out and so much more floating than the music of those who tried to get into from the western side ... to the chinese this music here is western music

Average customer rating: THE VELVET ONES ARE THE BOMB!!! Amazing! colombian gift Andrea te amo! Best Latin Alternative ROck Band

La Pipa de la Paz Aterciopelados Manufacturer: RCA Intl ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music Rock en Español | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: El Dorado Caribe Atómico Gozo Poderoso Oye Andrea Echeverri ASIN: B000005MBT Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

1. Cosita Seria
2. No Necessito
3. Quemarropa
4. Nada Que Ver
5. La Culpable
6. Expreso Amazonia
7. Miss Panela
8. Musica
9. Buena Estrella
10. Baracunatana
11. Platonico
12. La Voz De La Patria
13. Chica Dificil
14. Te Juro Que No
15. La Pipa De La Paz

Customer Reviews:

THE VELVET ONES ARE THE BOMB!!!.......2005-09-05

"LA VOZ DE LA PATRIA" "TE JURO QUE NO" "NO NECESITO" "BARACUNATANA" and the rest of this cd is just truly a masterpiece of the latin rock,this cd is full of energy,proud, and strong vibe...Don't waste time or money trying to find the best latin rock band ever...This is the one!!
And "LA PIPA DE LA PAZ" is their best work yet. Buy it, Steal it, or do what it's takes to get it....

Amazing!.......2002-04-09

One of my all time faves! Check out the tune "Música" that one always gets stuck in my head. Aterciopelados are a very clever, original Columbian rock band. The style they have is a cross of different generes (metal, tropical, pop, blues, etc). Andrea has a great voice with good range, and the guitar sound is always changing on each song, which makes for a very fresh record. Check out "No necesito", "Cosita Seria", "Quemarropa", "baracunatana" , and "miss Panela" (which has really cool lyrics too!)

colombian gift.......2001-04-29

great music, lyrics and attitude. si que es cosita seria.

Andrea te amo!.......2000-04-12

Without a doubt this is one of the finest Rock en Espanol albums ever. The music is varied in styles from boleros to flamencoesque rock, reggae tingned to folkloric, but one thing always transends styles and that is Andrea's lovely voice and fine guitar playing. The range of her voice is remarkable and never falters but rather rises to unbelieveable heights. La Culpable demonstrates her range and begins with fine acoustic guitar pickings that lead into Andrea's holding of a note for what seems like an eternity. She than continues in various ranges that will give you goose bumps! Anrea's voice is intoxicating and her former lover's Bass and chorus compliment each other. The voice of an angel is the only way to describe her. The lyrics are biting and meaningful which just make the songs so much stronger. As indicated on Buena Estrella where she she says she has a talisman and an angel protecting her, I believe her as it is manifested through her pipes. Baracunatana will rock your world as she gnarls like a kitten and tells tales of a lost lover on a moto as she calls her every concevieable rhythming bad mouth, she rules! La Voz de la Paria is a song that rocks as she sends her voice of Nationalism for the world to dicover. Chica deficil is so cool with a bohenian finger popping that allows Andrea to tell us her desire in men. Answer Hector in mock telephone voice only to be shut down as she seeks someone charming, a prince who will make songs for her and adore her with flowers. I'll gladly volunteer! I saw her perform once and it is truly amazing that this angels voice comes out of a skinny,pierced, tatooed woman with an androgynous look. The dynamic voice and stage pesence that emanates from this waif looking young dynamo is just an added highlight. Do yourself a favor and take the peace pipe, if you listen to her once you'll be hooked and know what many others already know. She is Columbia's gift to the Rock world. Andrea por vida eres mi amor-te amo.

Best Latin Alternative ROck Band.......2000-02-01

Andrea's voice is mezmorizing. This CD is excellent. By far the most creative and talented work of art I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. No wonder it was nominated for a Grammy. This display of talent combines all different sounds (i.e. Rock, Folklore) and instruments and produces the best Spanish rock CD ever made. I truly mean it!

World Music:

1. Off the Wall: 10 Years of Wall of Sound
2. Passion Planet: Songs Of Love From Around The World
3. Pure Irish
4. Reaching Point (Eskimo, Inuit Music)
5. Rhythmix: Reluque Batuque [Import]
6. Roberto Benigni E la Musica [Import]
7. Romance Guajiro
8. Rue Saint Louis en L'Île [Enhanced] [Import]
9. Sambas De Bossa [Import]
10. Soca Matrix

World Music

world music

World Music

Freedom [CD-single]

Original Opera Album [Import]

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 28 & 36 "Linz"

You're Under Arrest

New Years Dub [CD-single] [Import]

Pop Love Songs

Meilensteine [Import]

Raw Deal

Silver Rain

Liszt: Tasso: Lamento e trionfo No2; Odes Funèbres S112

Live in Australia [Live] [Import]

November

Paycheck to Paycheck [Explicit Lyrics]

Gotta Have Faith

Fallen Angel