Customer Reviews

Orchid

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most pleasant sounds to the ear is a well played pipa, or Chinese lute, a 2000 year old instrument that is just making itself known to the western world, but is well known in the orient.

Shao Rong is considered one of the top musical prodigies in all of China. Playing piano since age 5 and the pipa since age 10, she was one of only 12 students taken into the new music school of the Beijing National Central Music Institute from among the 20,000 who applied.

She has won "The Artistic Excellence Prize" as one of the outstanding artists at the Shanghai Arts Festival. She moved to Japan and enrolled at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where she played pipa and was an actress in Madame Butterfly. She has also performed as a soloist with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and as a soloist in the Sapporo Symphony. She has played at numerous premiers of various Japanese and Chinese artists and is considered a master in her field. She has been part of such groups as the Li-Hua Ensemble and Tempyo-Gafu, an Asian ancient-music ensemble.

Now that you know who Shao Rong is, her CD "Orchid" introduces her to the western world on the Pacific Moon label. She blends her piano skills with her pipa, which is played in the traditional Chinese style. The music is written by Seiichi Kyoda, part of Pacific Moon's recording team which also includes Kazumasa Yoshioka. The only exception is the track "Precious Moon" which is based on an old Chinese classic song "Yue Er Gao".

The music is a blend of east and west, making this easy on the western ear yet just oriental enough to be distinctly different. Each track offers the distinctive flavor of Oriental sounds worked skillfully into western classical music. The best example is "True Love", which gives the feeling of a traditional love ballad but has the touch of cherry blossoms falling in a Japanese garden.

The CD maintains the feel of being uniquely Oriental in flavor, though it crosses the cultural lines back and forth. "The Land of Woods and Waters" is very distinctly Japanese, and we "feel" the traditional quality of the pipa in this track. "Unicorn" gives you the full feeling of the crossover, working a soft jazz twist to the Oriental strains.

The recording quality of this CD is excellent and presents us with a perfect introduction to the beautiful music of Seiichi Kyoda as played by Shao Rong. Even the packaging is original, with sticks of rich Japanese incense included in the spine of the CD case, which allows you to smell the orient as well as enjoy the music, which Pacific Moon executives felt was just as important.

This is a wonderful addition to ambient music coming from Pacific Moon. We welcome more of this caliber of music to this genre. I also hope to hear more from Shao Rong and Seiichi Kyoda.

I cannot imagine a more beautiful, awe-inspiring, even emotional collection of music. If I had a psychiatrist, I would fire them and simply listen to Shao Rong's music. There should be six stars available for music like this.

Shao Rong's rapid, rippling strumming of the pipa, a traditional Chinese lute, commands the listener's attention and carries this recording of pleasant east-west fusion music. Other traditional instruments contributing to the soundscape include guzheng (Chinese zither), erhu (a slender Chinese fiddle shaped rather like a rebab), dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). I always enjoy the opportunity to hear non-western instruments featured in contemporary music, and this album is a good example of how it can be done. While there is nothing earth-shatteringly inventive about Seiichi Kyoda's compositions on "Orchid", they are intriguing and unjarring vehicles for combining Asian instruments and musical motifs with that ubiquitous jazz/pop combination of keyboards, guitar, synth-beats and bass that so often proves to be an international passport for traditional musics around the world. Listeners who might otherwise not be exposed find themselves intrigued by the unusual sounds mixed in with those they are used to, and hopefully some of those listeners choose to explore further, learning to appreciate the true, unadulterated roots of the traditional music and the culture that created it. In "Orchid", it is a sweet, wistful, microtonal complexity of sound that shines through in the stringed instruments' playing, reminiscent of the sliding tones of the spoken Chinese language. It's evocative and intoxicating. My favorite numbers on this recording are the sweeping "Wild Rose", the beat-driven "Precious Moon", and the mysterious, compelling and ever-developing "One More Tale". Actually, the only cut on the album I could really do without is "Bamboo Dance", not because there's anything wrong with the music, but the everpresent synthesized sound of dripping water obscures the tune, and in fact--rather like Chinese water torture--becomes highly annoying. Overall, however, this is a truly enjoyable CD with many pleasant surprises. Jia Peng-Fang, the erhu player on "Orchid", and Jian Xiao Qing, who plays guzheng, each have solo albums of their own out on the Pacific Moon label. They are similar in style to "Orchid". And for more of composer Seiichi Kyoda's work, try "East Wind" by the Japanese group Uttara Kuru.

Shao Rong is a Chinese artist who could be described as the Joshua Bell of the Chinese lute; she began her lessons in and mastered the instrument at an early age. She won a "genius" scholarship to a prestigious music institute in Beijing. In this album, she has produced mesmerizing tunes you will listen to again and again. If you have never heard this instrument, you will be amazed at its versatility. If you are familiar with the lute, you will nonetheless marvel at how Rong uses it in thoroughly modern compositions. All of the pieces are excellent, with "Wild Rose" and "Unicorn" (which is receiving play on U.S. "smooth jazz" radio stations) being particular standouts. Highly recommended. A truly outstanding performance.

Shao Rong is one of China's most refined and talented pipa players, having won top honors and prestige at home and abroad. This magnificent CD showcases her original heartfelt musical compositions. A feeling of timelessness and serenity overcomes the listener ... the beauty of the compostions are without equal.

On "Wild Rose", the pipa, the Chinese violin (erhu), the Japanese flute (shakuhachi) and the modern piano, create a flawless musical composition. Ancient wisdom seems to ride on each note like the natural flow of a river. "Bamboo" has a constant musical sound resembling drops of water which provides an unique contrast with the tender melodies that arise from the erhu and pipa. Also in this piece, the vibrato strumming technique is highly engaging and most effective. "Precious Moon" is a peaceful selection that contains a modern upbeat tremelo playing style. The plucking technique of the pipa compliments the piano. Each instrument tells its own unique story. "A Day Goes By" begins on a somewhat melancholy note but quickly achieves a peppy energetic pace resembling the waves of the Meditarranean Sea striking the shore, sounding very much like Greek or Italian melodies. Truly, anyone who appreciates Chinese culture and has an interest in traditional instruments would love this original and richly ornamental music. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Shao Rong's rapid, rippling strumming of the pipa, a traditional Chinese lute, commands the listener's attention and carries this recording of pleasant east-west fusion music. Other traditional instruments contributing to the soundscape include guzheng (Chinese zither), erhu (a slender Chinese fiddle shaped rather like a rebab), dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). I always enjoy the opportunity to hear non-western instruments featured in contemporary music, and this album is a good example of how it can be done. While there is nothing earth-shatteringly inventive about Seiichi Kyoda's compositions on "Orchid", they are intriguing and unjarring vehicles for combining Asian instruments and musical motifs with that ubiquitous jazz/pop combination of keyboards, guitar, synth-beats and bass that so often proves to be an international passport for traditional musics around the world. Listeners who might otherwise not be exposed find themselves intrigued by the unusual sounds mixed in with those they are used to, and hopefully some of those listeners choose to explore further, learning to appreciate the true, unadulterated roots of the traditional music and the culture that created it. In "Orchid", it is a sweet, wistful, microtonal complexity of sound that shines through in the stringed instruments' playing, reminiscent of the sliding tones of the spoken Chinese language. It's evocative and intoxicating. My favorite numbers on this recording are the sweeping "Wild Rose", the beat-driven "Precious Moon", and the mysterious, compelling and ever-developing "One More Tale". Actually, the only cut on the album I could really do without is "Bamboo Dance", not because there's anything wrong with the music, but the everpresent synthesized sound of dripping water obscures the tune, and in fact--rather like Chinese water torture--becomes highly annoying. Overall, however, this is a truly enjoyable CD with many pleasant surprises. Jia Peng-Fang, the erhu player on "Orchid", and Jian Xiao Qing, who plays guzheng, each have solo albums of their own out on the Pacific Moon label. They are similar in style to "Orchid". And for more of composer Seiichi Kyoda's work, try "East Wind" by the Japanese group Uttara Kuru.

LISTENING TO "ORCHID" AND "ORCHID 2" MOTIVATED CERTAIN WORDS INTO MY CONSCIOUSNESS: SERENITY, ADORATION, VENERATION, SWEETNESS, AFFECTION, AESTHETICS AND THE IDEA THAT LOVE MIGHT EXIST. BUT AS MILES DAVIS ONCE SAID "ITS THE WAY THE MUSIC MAKES YOU FEEL". ONE NO LONGER NEEDS TO JOG FOR AN OUTPOURING OF ENDORPHINS AND TRANQUILITY. SHAO, IN A MOST REFINE MODE FREES THE TIME; JUST THIS ONENESS WITH ALL WHO BELIEVE IN COEXISTENCE. TO HEAR THIS MUSIC IS TO BELIEVE-ITS REAL.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, TRAVEL FAR AWAY IN YOUR HEART AND MIND LISTENING TO THIS ONE. IT SPEAKS FOR IT'S SELF...TRY IT. JUST LIKE SPENDING THE DAY IN THE ORIENT, HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR A VERY
ROMANTIC EVENING TO REALLY SET THE MOOD AND TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER
LEVEL.

If you like Japanese sounds... buy this... it is like a powerful happy drug on CD... this music is Magical and reaches into your soul... and soothes the listener in no way that words can describe.

Very relaxing and smooth without being bland Fantastic technical execution while still retaining the spirit of the music. I find myself playing "Orchid" and "Orchid II" often without tiring of it. "A Day Goes By" and "One More Tale" are the most beautiful pieces in my opinion. Along with "Desert Flowers" in "Orchid II," these are songs I program to repeat almost between each CD on the playlist. The only con I can list is the percussion arrangement - it is sometimes too much for the music; I wish it is less obtrusive.