Chinese Taoist Music

by Taoist Music Orchestra, Orchestra of the Shanghai City God Temple, Taoist Music Orchestra of the Shanghai City God Temple

Overview

The Taoist temples of Shanghai have a long history of being closed, destroyed, and rebuilt. After closing during the Cultural Revolution, the City God Temple reopened in the 1970s (and in its current form in 1994) and promptly produced one of the first albums of Taoist music -- Welcoming Guests from Wonderland. With a new generation of younger Taoists now assuming leadership of the temple and new training from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the City God Temple has remade the original Welcoming Guests from Wonderland, now available to listeners under the title Chinese Taoist Music. The CD has tones of the classic silk-and-bamboo sound that many expect from Chinese music, but it's somewhat more complex than that. The recording presents a mix of classic Taoist formats with the local Shanghai sound (of the Song dynasty, that is) -- the "Jiang-Nan" sound. Similar to Confucian music, much of the Taoist element is concerned with the representation of various instruments and ritual (read: repetitive) purposes. The pieces can loop for some time before climaxing and ending. Others have a more delicate nature, weaving their way through a series of counterpoint maneuvers before quietly diminishing into oblivion. The album is musically complex; the performances are all top-notch. However, the true interest here lies in the album's historical context -- a mixing of heavy ritual with local folk music, a rebirth of joy and a return to cultural significance following the dark times of the Cultural Revolution. ~ Adam Greenberg

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/2007
Label:	ARC MUSIC
UPC:	5019396210424

Tracks

1. Ying Xianke (Welcoming Guests from Wonderland), for traditional ensemble
2. Xiang Ji (Incense Hymn), for traditional ensemble
3. Buxu (Pacing the Void), for traditional ensemble
4. San Shangxiang (Three Incense Offerings), for traditional ensemble
5. Yu Furong (Jade Hibisicus), for traditional ensemble
6. Zhuxiang Zan (Incense Prayer Hymn), for traditional ensemble
7. Feng Ru Song (Wind through the Pines), for traditional ensemble
8. Qupai Lianzou (Qupai Legato), for traditional ensemble
9. Xianhua Ji (Flower Offering Hymn), for traditional ensemble
10. Yaotan Ji (Wonderland Hymn), for traditional ensemble

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Taoist Music Orchestra   Primary Artist
Taoist Music Orchestra of the Shanghai City God Temple   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Orchestra of the Shanghai City God Temple   Primary Artist
Chen Dacan   Music Direction

Technical Credits

Alex Stokes   Cover Design
Jeannine Blanpain   Liner Note Translation
Quingyu Du   Copyist
Xiaojin Shi   Music Advisor
Rocio Garcia   Liner Note Translation
Hong Chang   Translation
Xu Zhou   Coordination
Qi Zheng   Photography
Diz Heller   Editing,Pre-Mastering
Dalin Chen   Notation
Chen Dacan   Notation
Barbara Papadopoulos   Typesetting,Layout Design
Ute Entwistle   Liner Note Translation
Zhou Shen   Cover Art
Yanze Chen   Photography
Yaoting Chen   Copyist
Liangsheng Chen   Music Advisor
Qiaolin Liu   Coordination
Hongzhong Ji   Producer,Liner Notes
Gang Yao   Translation
Lu Xiaoxing   Engineer