Customer Reviews

Si Ji (Four Seasons)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most original CDs I've ever heard. This CD is full of incredible music. Yang XueFei plays with sensitivity, creativity and passion.
When I played this CD for my guitar teacher, he commented that it was rare for him not to have heard at least one piece on any particular classical guitar CD, yet all these pieces were new to him. Carlo Domeniconi (who wrote the masterpiece "Koyunbaba") has composed an outstanding suite based on the I Ching. The 3 pieces by Stephen Goss, which are based on Asian films, are themselves cinematic: "The Blue Kite" is a work of minimalist beauty. There are many other talented composers lending their gifts to this CD. Most of the selections are either composed for Yang Xuefei or are arrangements by her. All are inspired by Chinese culture and music. My favorite piece is "Long Outstretched Pier with its Shadow" (by Dietmar Ungerrank); it is elegantly written and the execution is sensual and rich.
Yang XueFei's technical agility, especially the right hand, (as in "Yi Dance") goes beyond that of her contemporaries. As impressive as this is, the passion she imbues into each work is what connects her to the songs and ultimately to the audience. Technique is there to help her express what is inside of her. It is as if the guitar is her lover. This just isn't a great guitar album; it is a great album period. Its emotional complexity deepens with each listening. Buy it!
I've also purchased "Romance de Amor" which is extremely good as well (listen to her version of "Requerdos de la Alhambra" as compared to one of her heroes, John Williams on "The Guitarist"), but "Si Ji" is totally unique. Don't miss it.
As an aside, If you do end up buying and enjoying this CD, you might listen to Lily Afshar. The influence of her Persian heritage is similar in effect to "Si Ji" by Yang XueFei. Both artists have breathed life into the modern repertoire of guitar music.

I am a classical guitar student, and an over-the-top consumer. So I have a lot (many dozens) of classical guitar CDs. They are for the most part quite good, but they tend to blend. I might be able to distinguish Tennant's Rodrigo or Barrueco's Scarlatti, but too many guitarists play an awful lot of the same repetoire, and they play it quite similarly.

This CD is quite different. The pieces are all Asian in flavor and by composers I had never heard of. And they are quite beautiful. Ms. Yang appears to be quite young, so this could be the start of a long and interesting career. But at least one of the pieces was written for her, so she has already apparently developed a solid reputation.

Nowadays many classical musicians move to 'cross-overs' between Western classics to exotic works, and Chinese musicians and composers pioneer in cross-overs from Chinese music to Western.
Alas, not all attempts are successful. Either there has not been enough nurturing in the Chinese repertoire, or the western playing style has not yet been fully developed.
Ms. Yang is a young classical guitarist. Gathering from what she said in her own introduction to this disc, she is a musician with a great ambition. It is true that the classical guitar may not have a substantial repertoire as other western instruments like the violin and piano. Hence drawing materials from other culture in a guitarist's repertoire is both a necessity and an endeavour.
A guitarist from Beijing, Ms. Yang is familiar with classical Chinese instruments like the gu qin, the zheng and the pipa. These ancient Chinese instruments are like the guitar- all are played by plucking strings set on wooden surfaces. So as Ms Yang herself noted - the guitar originated from the Middle East, a 'cross-over' area of Eastern and Western culture.
In many of the modern works recorded in this disc, Ms Yang played the guitar to the effect of those ancient Chinese instruments, and this is quite stunning. Her familiarity with the Eastern musical style is fully demonstrated, adding the requisite flavour of authenticity to her interpretation. There are a number of great compositions of the gu qing, the zheng as well as the pipa, and I truly look forward to Ms Yang's transcriptions of those to the guitar in due course.
A highly recommended recording for guitar players, guitar lovers and Chinese music fans alike.

unigue sounding cd with all new materials, yang uses the guitar like a whole orchestra

The playing is top notch. I own all of Xuefei's albums. You will appreciate this CD a lot more, if:

1. You have heard the originals played by "Asian Instruments" / in a orchestral context
2. You are aware of the historical background of some of the tracks / of the composer
3. You play classical / fingerstyle guitar
4. You have tried arranging / adapting instrumentals into a solo fingerstyle guitar piece

Of course, there are people who will judge this album from a "user's" point of view. I prefer to rate this body of work from the "creator's" point of view. Furthermore, given the nature of the music business, it is a marvel that this album was released with these selections.

This is album of Chinese and Chinese-inspired music played on classical guitar. The guitar turns out to be a superb vehicle for this sort of music and the performer has excellent technique. This is not an album for someone who is only comfortable with western music forms, but if you enjoy chinese music it is a lot of fun.

I totally agree with Thomas. Sometimes the ratings given just does not add up after you purchase the CD.

Xue Fei Yang is indeed a great guitarist. For some folks like us, we enjoy great classical guitar music but the music selection in this CD is just boring. I hardly play it after hearing it a few times...

As per my review of her other CD - 40 degrees north....strictly for classical guitar players and Xue Fei Yang fans....Hear out all the pieces before you buy.

This girl is a witch. What I mean is, she makes such fiendishly difficult music sound natural and graceful on the guitar. I recently bought the pairing of her cds (Si Ji and Romance de Amor) and together, they are an amazing display of the possibilities of the guitar.
Seriously, if you love beautiful guitar playing and are willing to join an artist on an adventure through both familiar and unfamiliar repertory, you will be amazed by XueFei Yang. Even the cd liner notes are impressive. =)

As lovers of good guitar music, my wife and I purchased this CD based on the other Amazon reviews. Unfortunately we were somewhat disillusioned. The western influence in her Asian pieces is evident in most of the compositions and some of them are very good;however, the flow within some pieces is choppy and almost annoying if one is relaxing and really listening to the music. Quality of her guitar playing is good in most tracks but is not exceptional. If you desire the quality of of Ottmar Liebert, Paul Galbraith, Lily Afshar, Jesse Cook, or Craig Chaquico, true five star category performers, this will not meet your expectations and Xuefei Yang is NOT in their class - at least not yet. If you are looking for a CD just to fill a gap in your guitar music collection that is Asian with some western influence its OK, but if you are expecting exceptional music and guitar playing you may be a bit disappointedOttmar Liebert - Nouveau FlamencoThe Ultimate Jesse Cook (2-CD Set)Paul Galbraith Plays HaydnA Jug of Wine and Thou