Xiaogang Ye: Sichuan Image

by Noriko Ogawa, Jose Serebrier, Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Overview

Xiaogang Ye is one of China's most popular contemporary composers, and his music is being heard beyond the Middle Kingdom. Ye has composed film music, and the BIS label's notes are a bit ambiguous as to whether the works on this album are examples of the genre. One blurb states that the title work was written to accompany a film about Ye's travels through Sichuan province, while the main booklet note does not say anything about the trip being filmed. It doesn't really matter, for Ye, both in Sichuan Images and in the piano-and-orchestra work Concerto of Life, is writing short bursts of musical imagery fully akin to those of film scores. The two pieces are pretty similar; although called a concerto, the Concerto of Life (featuring veteran Asian music specialist Noriko Ogawa on piano) consists of short segments similar to those in the longer Sichuan Images, which also features a solo piano. Westerners who love film music but are unfamiliar with Ye are heartily encouraged to check this release out. Ye masters the dual discipline that makes for effective film music: not only are his short pieces evocative of the scenes named in their titles, but they are also interesting in themselves, incorporating considerable internal variety despite being just a minute or two long. Those awaiting "love themes" to match those of classic cinema will find a pair in the "Love of Chuandong" and "Love of Tianfu" segments from Sichuan Images. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra under the seemingly indestructible Jose Serebrier is effective in this idiom, and it seems likely that the goal of making Ye a household word like Williams or Morricone is a step closer in view as a result of this album. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/03/2022
Label:	BIS
UPC:	7318590023037

Tracks

1. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~I. Prelude. Memory of Sichuan
2. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~II. Mt Bashan
3. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~III. Shadow of Bamboo
4. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~IV. The Torrent in Yankou
5. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~V. The Distant Water in Hechuan
6. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~VI. A Night in Bazhong
7. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~VII. Riverside of Jialing River
8. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~VIII. Torrential Chuan River
9. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~IX. Mt Meishan
10. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~X. Beichuan Region
11. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XI. It Rains When Heaven Deems Fit
12. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XII. The Boundless Mt Minshan
13. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XIII. Fog in Nanchong
14. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XIV. Salt Well
15. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XV. Gloomy Rain in Wenchuan
16. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XVI. Great Mountains in Sichuan
17. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XVII. Mother Re-marries
18. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XVIII. Qingcheng in the Rain
19. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XIX. Ambition of Sichuan
20. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XX. A Sunny Day in Guangyuan
21. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXI. The South of Mian River
22. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXII. A Morning Sun Over Qiang Village
23. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXIII. Looking Up into Leshan
24. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXIV. Night Rain in Wenchuan
25. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXV. The Love of Chuandong
26. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXVI. The Love of Tianfu
27. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXVII. Fogs of Suining
28. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXVIII. Dreaming back of South Sichuan
29. Sichuan Image for orchestra, Op. 70~XXIX. Epilogue. My Sichuan
30. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~I. Life Song
31. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~II. Roses in the Shades of Evening
32. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~III. Cruel Truth
33. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~IV. Never Regret
34. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~V. A Dream
35. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~VI. Hospital
36. Concerto of Life for piano and orchestra, Op. 23c~VII. Live on in Spirit

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Noriko Ogawa   Primary Artist,Piano
Jose Serebrier   Primary Artist,Conductor
Royal Scottish National Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Lei Wang   Sheng
Yang Jiang   Pipa
Xue Yang   Erhu,Zhonghu
Yue Li   Xiao

Technical Credits

Michael Fine   Mixing,Editing,Producer,Post Production
Arlette Lemieux-Chene   Liner Note Translation
Robert Suff   Executive Producer
Clive Barda   Photography
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting
Horst A. Scholz   Liner Note Translation
Ye Xiaogang   Composer,Liner Notes
Matthias Spitzbarth   Mastering
Kai Wang   Photography
Muto   Photography
Max Yin   Liner Notes,Liner Note Translation
Mike Hatch   Engineer