Customer Reviews

Classical Chinese Folk Music

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being Chinese, I have been to many Chinese restaurants. Many have elaborate Chinese decor: traditional paintings, fish tanks, statues, and furniture- but *no Chinese music*. I am always dismayed when I hear them play showtunes or worse, pop radio. It just doesn't fit. Hong Kong karaoke doesn't fare much better. Traditional Chinese music such as this CD set is essential for the proper atmosphere.

This music makes good background music. It can be soothing without being boring, having the complexity and direction that New Age music lacks. Most important, it's authentic music, played with authentic instruments. It doesn't pretend to be Chinese, it *is* Chinese. (I was appalled when I heard what passed as Chinese music in the "Chinese" shops at Worlds of Fun.)

Recommend traditional Chinese music like this CD set to the Chinese restaurants near you. (There might be a little confusion about what "classical" means in the title. A better word would be "traditional.")

Close your eyes and imagine the music that would accompany Chinese landscapes with cultivated and tiered mountainsides, winding rivers through lush, green valleys ... music played on instruments such as, a 7 stringed Chinese dulcimer (huquin), a one-stringed instrument played with a bow (erhu), a bamboo wind instrument (bawoo), a Chinese violin, plus the xiao (Chinese cymbals). This 2 CD set is filled with musical landscapes of exceptional beauty, grace, and oriental elegance. The paradox is 'it has extraordinary simplicity wrapped in subtle complexity.' Think of, a child chasing a butterfly, a rainbow that comes forth after a brief rainshower, wispy clouds that float across the sky, creating paisley patterns ... "simplicity wrapped in subtle complexity"! This unique music has a lyrical poetical quality, which includes harmony, balance, and artistic refinement ... similar to delicate Chinese porcelain, with intricate hand-painted designs.

The titles to some of the pieces suggest the "simplicity and subtle complexity" of the music:
"Purple Bamboo Melody", "Song of the Fisherman", "Rivers and Streams", "Spring Comes to Xiang River", "Spring Water Reflects the Moon", "Lake over the Autumn Moon", and "Hungry Horses Ringing Bells". If calm, soothing, ambient meditative oriental music is what you desire: this double CD set will exceed your expectations! Indeed, I have heard similar music played at Chinese Restaurants & was enormously pleased when I discovered these CDs! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

This unusual collection of traditional Chinese instrumental music is full of heart and spirit. The melodies are particularly accessible to westerners (although I don't believe that this was intentional). For many people it would not only be a good introduction to the "other side of the globe," but to the "other side" of the self. Highly recommended!

Few types of music can evoke stronger images or feelings than classical Chinese instrumental music. Growing up in East Asia this cd set brought images of forested mountains in moonlight, or wind swishing through a bamboo grove on a cloudy day.
The variety of moods in the set is wide: smooth and gentle, light and energetic, powerful and melancholic. The instrumentation is a large selection of Chinese origin, and fortunately doesn't have any electronic or western instruments that many so called "ethnic" or "world music" selections can often have. Some of the compositions are traditional, some are more recent done by modern composers, but most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference given the quality of the music.
Granted, the arrangement is somewhat tailored to the western tastes, but not so far as to grossly misrepresent it's origins. My second hangup that keeps me from giving it a perfect 5 stars is I wish that there was more of the gouqin to be heard. Although it is one of the instruments used, I only heard it in a few songs and it is one of the oldest and most prestigious of all Chinese instruments.
Great buy for someone who wants a fair representation of a classical Chinese ensemble.

I know nothing about traditional Chinese music, nor am I Chinese, but I purchased this CD based on the reviews saying it was authentic cultural music. I work in a nursing facility where the majority of the residents are Chinese immigrants, and I wanted something to play during art groups and yoga classes. This is the perfect blend of relaxing and soothing, but with enough rhythm to keep you on your toes and not let you fall asleep. I notice a difference in my residents when they're listening to this music - they enjoy my programs that much more.

I have been interested in "World Music" before there was such a title. My record collection of years ago (LPs) included any albums I could find of "folk music" from all parts of the world. I became especially interested in the soothing sounds from China and Peru.

This collection is a good anthology of the Chinese folk music with liner notes that provide us "Occidentals" with some understanding of the context. Especially after traveling to China, my fascination with the "Middle Kingdom" has continued to grow.

See also: Melody of China

Classical Chinese Folk Music is a relaxing album of typical Chinese music. Brings to mind the non-political China coming from the oldest civilization on earth.

This CD offers a wonderful sampling of Chinese styles, harmonies and instruments. We spent 3 weeks in China last summer, and some of the melody lines, harmonies and especially the warbly stringed instruments you can find on this CD sound so much like the songs and music we heard at the various places we visited. It is a delightful album!

It is not pop music, and it's a bit westernized in the orchestration, but the fundamental Chinese flavor of the music is not lost in the translation.

I agree with all. This CD set is everything I hoped it would be---listenable Chinese "traditional" music with a variety of instruments---to remind me of my travels. Nothing screechy and nothing "New Age-y". Instantly listenable and nothing unbearable.

every recording on this cd is great. i can never find this kind of mucic locally. it was definitaly worth every cent i paid for it and i would come back looking for more!