š Free Worldwide Shipping on All Orders!Shop Now
Chinese Classics - Ge Gan-Ru, Fall of Baghdad / Modern Works
GE GAN-RU String Quartets: No. 1, āFuā; No. 4, āAngel Suiteā; No. 5, āFall of Baghdadā ā¢ ModernWorks ā¢ NAXOS 8.570603 (60:44)
Prior to this review Iād read a short profile of the composer in the Times , and discovered for a substantial period of time heād dropped out of sight to found a business that now supports him and allows him freedom to compose as he wishes. As such, he may be the āChinese Charles Ives.ā Whatever the reason, these three string quartets show his evolution over that time gap, with No. 1 from 1983, and Nos. 4 and 5 from 1998 and 2007, respectively.
No. 1, āFuā (Prose Poem), is in a single movement, and while it uses a number of special techniques for strings, the influence of middle-period BartĆ³k is most evident, at least to my ear. This was radical music in context for a young Chinese composer, but not necessarily for the outside world. But No. 4, āAngel Suite,ā is an exceedingly rich and original piece. In a way, it shouldnāt be, as it references the Western classical tradition most overtly, and indeed has a strong scent of the last fin de siĆØcle. But though I hear Debussy very strongly throughout (above all in the first movement), its movementsāincluding a dark waltz and similarly unsettling marchāremain so full of interesting ideas and details that a strong personality cannot help but emerge. I found this music totally engaging, with a āpostmodernā take that was never ironic, facile, or pastichesque.
No. 5 is subtitled āThe Fall of Baghdad.ā In its reference to destruction āin time of war,ā itās an homage to George Crumbās 1970 Black Angels, and it opens with similarly wrenching, screeching sounds. The second movement features an extended, distant viola melody that recalls a muzzeinās call to prayer, which after an interlude of sinister rhythms using col legno and pizzicato, returns to the stratosphere. The third, āDesolation,ā has a heartrending violin solo over pianissimo chords that suggest the classic āvoice crying in the wilderness.ā (No more so than when dark crunching sounds are ripped from behind the instrumentsā bridges.) While the work starts out a little too reminiscent of its inspiration, like all the works on this program, Ge is in the details. It takes a little time, but a new, personal music emerges without any enormous technical or stylistic breakthrough; this is actually an enormous accomplishment. And lest I sound too technical, the musicās conclusion is shattering. Weāve got real art here.
ModernWorks is a string quartet directed by cellist Madeline Shapiro. (The other players are Airi Yoshioka and Majuki Fukuhara, violins, and Veronica Salas, viola.) They interpret this music brilliantly, and they have done great service to music by advocating this creator. I hope this recording finds a large audience, or at least the right audience. This composer has something to say, and staying power.
FANFARE: Robert Carl
Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Chinese Classics - Ge Gan-Ru, Fall of Baghdad / Modern Works
Chinese Classics - Ge Gan-Ru, Fall of Baghdad / Modern Works
GE GAN-RU String Quartets: No. 1, āFuā; No. 4, āAngel Suiteā; No. 5, āFall of Baghdadā ā¢ ModernWorks ā¢ NAXOS 8.570603 (60:44)
Prior to this review Iād read a short profile of the composer in the Times , and discovered for a substantial period of time heād dropped out of sight to found a business that now supports him and allows him freedom to compose as he wishes. As such, he may be the āChinese Charles Ives.ā Whatever the reason, these three string quartets show his evolution over that time gap, with No. 1 from 1983, and Nos. 4 and 5 from 1998 and 2007, respectively.
No. 1, āFuā (Prose Poem), is in a single movement, and while it uses a number of special techniques for strings, the influence of middle-period BartĆ³k is most evident, at least to my ear. This was radical music in context for a young Chinese composer, but not necessarily for the outside world. But No. 4, āAngel Suite,ā is an exceedingly rich and original piece. In a way, it shouldnāt be, as it references the Western classical tradition most overtly, and indeed has a strong scent of the last fin de siĆØcle. But though I hear Debussy very strongly throughout (above all in the first movement), its movementsāincluding a dark waltz and similarly unsettling marchāremain so full of interesting ideas and details that a strong personality cannot help but emerge. I found this music totally engaging, with a āpostmodernā take that was never ironic, facile, or pastichesque.
No. 5 is subtitled āThe Fall of Baghdad.ā In its reference to destruction āin time of war,ā itās an homage to George Crumbās 1970 Black Angels, and it opens with similarly wrenching, screeching sounds. The second movement features an extended, distant viola melody that recalls a muzzeinās call to prayer, which after an interlude of sinister rhythms using col legno and pizzicato, returns to the stratosphere. The third, āDesolation,ā has a heartrending violin solo over pianissimo chords that suggest the classic āvoice crying in the wilderness.ā (No more so than when dark crunching sounds are ripped from behind the instrumentsā bridges.) While the work starts out a little too reminiscent of its inspiration, like all the works on this program, Ge is in the details. It takes a little time, but a new, personal music emerges without any enormous technical or stylistic breakthrough; this is actually an enormous accomplishment. And lest I sound too technical, the musicās conclusion is shattering. Weāve got real art here.
ModernWorks is a string quartet directed by cellist Madeline Shapiro. (The other players are Airi Yoshioka and Majuki Fukuhara, violins, and Veronica Salas, viola.) They interpret this music brilliantly, and they have done great service to music by advocating this creator. I hope this recording finds a large audience, or at least the right audience. This composer has something to say, and staying power.
FANFARE: Robert Carl
$4.90
Original: $13.99
-65%Chinese Classics - Ge Gan-Ru, Fall of Baghdad / Modern Worksā
$13.99
$4.90Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
GE GAN-RU String Quartets: No. 1, āFuā; No. 4, āAngel Suiteā; No. 5, āFall of Baghdadā ā¢ ModernWorks ā¢ NAXOS 8.570603 (60:44)
Prior to this review Iād read a short profile of the composer in the Times , and discovered for a substantial period of time heād dropped out of sight to found a business that now supports him and allows him freedom to compose as he wishes. As such, he may be the āChinese Charles Ives.ā Whatever the reason, these three string quartets show his evolution over that time gap, with No. 1 from 1983, and Nos. 4 and 5 from 1998 and 2007, respectively.
No. 1, āFuā (Prose Poem), is in a single movement, and while it uses a number of special techniques for strings, the influence of middle-period BartĆ³k is most evident, at least to my ear. This was radical music in context for a young Chinese composer, but not necessarily for the outside world. But No. 4, āAngel Suite,ā is an exceedingly rich and original piece. In a way, it shouldnāt be, as it references the Western classical tradition most overtly, and indeed has a strong scent of the last fin de siĆØcle. But though I hear Debussy very strongly throughout (above all in the first movement), its movementsāincluding a dark waltz and similarly unsettling marchāremain so full of interesting ideas and details that a strong personality cannot help but emerge. I found this music totally engaging, with a āpostmodernā take that was never ironic, facile, or pastichesque.
No. 5 is subtitled āThe Fall of Baghdad.ā In its reference to destruction āin time of war,ā itās an homage to George Crumbās 1970 Black Angels, and it opens with similarly wrenching, screeching sounds. The second movement features an extended, distant viola melody that recalls a muzzeinās call to prayer, which after an interlude of sinister rhythms using col legno and pizzicato, returns to the stratosphere. The third, āDesolation,ā has a heartrending violin solo over pianissimo chords that suggest the classic āvoice crying in the wilderness.ā (No more so than when dark crunching sounds are ripped from behind the instrumentsā bridges.) While the work starts out a little too reminiscent of its inspiration, like all the works on this program, Ge is in the details. It takes a little time, but a new, personal music emerges without any enormous technical or stylistic breakthrough; this is actually an enormous accomplishment. And lest I sound too technical, the musicās conclusion is shattering. Weāve got real art here.
ModernWorks is a string quartet directed by cellist Madeline Shapiro. (The other players are Airi Yoshioka and Majuki Fukuhara, violins, and Veronica Salas, viola.) They interpret this music brilliantly, and they have done great service to music by advocating this creator. I hope this recording finds a large audience, or at least the right audience. This composer has something to say, and staying power.
FANFARE: Robert Carl
