CD of the month - ‘Xu Lai’ by Lingling Yu

 

The CD of the month has been chosen by Pieter de Rooij
(see: ‘Introducing...’). He explains the reasons for this choice.

“Chinese pipa-muziek is almost never heard on Dutch radio or television and only very rarely performed live in the Netherlands. However it is worth listening to and so I am taking this opportunity to bring this form of classical Chinese music to your attention. The album ‘Xu Lai’ is a beautiful recording of the pipa player Lingling Yu that was issued on the Felmay label. The following text is taken from my review of the album that was published in the magazine Mixed in 2009Xu Lai

“Lingling Yu is a multi-talented and highly appreciated perfor-
mer on the pipa, a lute that has a history in Chinese traditional music going back over 2000 years. She plays solo pieces
with both precision and subtlety in the serene and lyrical style called 'Wen' and in the more forceful style called 'Wu'. The musical evocation of moonlight over a river, waves breaking on
a seashore, a group of geese and a heroic historical tableau are breathtaking.

The expressive possibilities of the pipa seem almost unlimited. The dream-like, pentatonic melo-
dies are not easy to remember (at least to our Western ears), but the evocative sound of the instrument that encompasses refined ornamentations, trills, bowed notes and mysteriously droning overtones
is immediately fascinating. The recording of Lingling Yu captures the masterful performance perfectly and adds to the listeners enjoyment of this album. ‘Xu Lai’
is an exceptionally successful album and is recommended to every connoisseur of music.”

The album ‘Xu Lai’ by Lingling Yu is available on Spotify and elsewhere.

 

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