Art of the Chinese Dulcimer

Art of the Chinese Dulcimer Artist: Professor Xu Pingxin
Label: Arc Music
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 019396129325
EAN: 0019396129325
ASIN: B000008S7N


Release Date: 1995-11-21

Related Categories:

Traditional Folk Traditional Folk
Related | Folk | Styles | Music
China China
Related | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music
General General
Related | International | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music
China China
Related | Far East | Compilations | International | Styles | Music
General General
Related | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Spring Arrives at Qing River
  2. Happy Song
  3. Sunshine Over Tashkurgan
  4. Three Six
  5. Raindrops Beating on Banana Leaves
  6. Curtain Upside Dow
  7. Su Wu Herding Sheep
  8. Crescent Moon in Deep Night
  9. Planting Song
  10. General's Command
  11. Dance Melody of the Southern Xinjiang
  12. Festival in the Tianshan
  13. Dragon Boat
  14. Open the Fountain of Happiness

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Dragon Boat music... and more!.......2004-09-02

Quickie Synopsis: This is a magical cd!

Slightly more in-depth review: If you don't know what a hammered dulcimer (the yang qin in China) is, just think of something that sounds perfectly between a big-toned, gorgeous sounding resonant brass doorbell and a grand piano. It's an ancient instrument that is found everywhere from Iran to Hungary to China, and plenty of places in between.

Professor Xu Pingxin is an astounding player! From slow, gentle caressing of the melodies to ungodly high-velocity attacking of the melody, he can do it all. There are times on this cd where you will swear you can feel your pulse and blood-pressure rising. What makes his fast..his very fast... playing so spectacular is that he doesn't revert to trite riffing the faster he plays. He still executes melodies and rhythms with lunar precision and amazing tone even at his fastest speeds, speeds that are crazy. I can't even think as fast as he plays.

I'm not sure what it is about this album, but it only moderately moves me when I listen to it in headphones, but in the main stereo or in the car it's absolutely riveting from the first to last notes. Something about this music just begs to be free... it needs to be out in the air or something, I guess. Also it could be that his tone just gets better and better at higher volumes, and I don't like to listen to things in headphones all that loudly. This is a high-quality, big, full-sounding recording.

I've had this in the car with people who by their own admission "Don't listen to this type of stuff" who have loved this disc. This really is an incredibly special recording of Chinese melodies ranging from the very old to the modern (but it is still all unaccompanied yang qin, no sort of pop or keyboards or anything horrid like that), and if you're lucky enough to have found this disc, you may as well top-off your luck by buying it.

Music CD:

  1. Duo de Oud ~ Munir Bashir, Omar Bashir
  2. Feijão com Arroz ~ Daniela Mercury
  3. A Raposa E As Uvas ~ Reginaldo Rossi
  4. Live in Dublin ~ Alan Stivell
  5. Chega De Saudade ~ Claudia Telles
  6. Sitar Power 1 - Fusion of Rock and Indian Music ~ Ashwin Batish
  7. Friends from Rio ~ Various Artists
  8. Eyebana, Vol. 2 ~ Sam Mangwana
  9. Nosso Mundo ~ Trio Esperanca
  10. Entering the Circle ~ Olga Kharitidi & Jim Wilson

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Black Cheez ~ Black Cheez

Seven Turns ~ The Allman Brothers Band

From Cycles of Heat ~ Violent Green

In With the Out Crowd ~ Baker Brothers

Catskills ~ Kitty Craft

J T B ~ Jukka Tolonen

Elvis at Sun ~ Elvis Presley

The Polar Express ~ Various Artists

Madame Sousatzka ~ Original Soundtrack

Slow Down Lil Buddy ~ Dirtbag