DESCRIPTION:
Jun Qian, clarinet
Kae Hosoda-Ayer, piano

from Albany TROY1528

http://www.albanyrecords.com

Like volume one of East Meets West, this recording is a collection of new music for clarinet by Chinese composers who have lived, studied, and worked overseas. The compositions combine Chinese cultural elements with Western art music to create a unique intersection of cultures through the use of tone colors produced by the combination of clarinet with Chinese instruments, sound effects created with the use of both Chinese and Western musical forms and harmonic language, and a blend of classical and contemporary musical idioms. All the music on this recording was written or arranged for clarinetist Jun Qian. On the music faculty at Baylor University, Jun Qian is principal clarinetist of the Waco Symphony. Previously he was principal clarinetist of the Shanghai Philharmonic and studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and Eastman. He has concertized throughout China, and has performed and taught in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Canada.

Contents:

Jing Zhou, composer
The Four Gentlemen Among Flowers
Jing Zhou, guzheng; Jun Qian, clarinet

Kay He, composer
Soliloquy • Wings
Jun Qian, clarinet

A-Mao Wang, composer
The Feeble Breeze, The Sullen Spring
Jun Qian, clarinet; Jing Zhou, guzheng; Scott Steele, percussion

Zhou Long, composer
Taiping Drum
Jun Qian, clarinet; Kae Hosoda-Ayer, piano

Chen Yi, composer
Three Bagatelles from China West
Jun Qian, clarinet; Jian Bing Hu, sheng

Jun Qian & Jian Bing Hu, composers
New York Improvisatory Dialogue for Clarinet and Sheng
Jun Qian, clarinet; Jian Bing Hu, sheng

Qiuxiao Li, composer
Wu Song Fights the Tiger
Jun Qian, clarinet; electronics