Never Far Away: Music Of Bright Sheng

Yolanda Kondonassis | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 25, 2009
• Release Date: August 25, 2009
• Label: Telarc
• Copyright: (C) 2009 Telarc International a division of Concord Music Group
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 1:07:28
• Genres:
• ASIN: B002LRKJF6
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Adventure, August 25, 2009

By 

SD Dolfan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Far Away: Music of Bright Sheng (Audio CD)

This amazing piece of work is a wonderful, contemporary, Asian-themed collection of emotions. Bright Sheng's compositions are given inspiring performances by Ms. Kondonassis, under the direction of Jahja Ling and superb playing by the San Diego Symphony. Each listening is a new experience.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright Sheng, Yolanda Kondonassis, And The San Diego Symphony, May 28, 2010

By 

Erik North (San Gabriel, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Never Far Away: Music of Bright Sheng (Audio CD)

Bright Sheng's status as arguably the best-known contemporary composer to come out of China is made quite clear on this impressive recording made by the great American harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. Ms. Kondonassis ably brings to life the composer's "Never Far Away", in essence a traditional three-movement concerto for harp and orchestra that is both strikingly ancient and modern, reflecting its composer's homeland's history and integrating a totally contemporary sensibility. With three other of Mr. Sheng's compositions--"Shanghai Overture"; "The Nightingale And The Rose" (a ballet score inspired by Oscar Wilde); and "Tibetan Love Song And Swing"--we get a great melding of Chinese and Western cultures.

Equally significant (and one must give credit to Telarc for doing it), this recording also shines a spotlight on a rather overlooked American orchestra, namely the San Diego Symphony, which has managed to stage a significant comeback as of late after it came close to bankruptcy not too many years ago. Under the direction of their current music director Jahja Ling, who had also served as an assistant to Christoph von Dohnanyi at the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony has shown itself to be a resilient orchestra in all styles of music, from Classical to Contemporary. Bringing contemporary works to classical audiences who might otherwise want only well-established warhorses is never easy, especially for US orchestras, but Mr. Ling, Ms. Kondonassis, and the San Diego Symphony have worked wonders on this impressive recording. One hopes to hear more of this kind of excellence in the not too distant future.