Liu Fang Releases a new CD of Pipa Music from Chinese Folk Roots

Canadian label Philmultic announced the release of Liu Fang‘s third pipa solo album, part of a series of three volumes. The Soul of pipa Vol. 3 features 10 pipa solo pieces performed by Liu Fang. This album completes Fang’s survey of Chinese pipa music, focusing on various folk roots from different parts of China.

The Soul of pipa Vol. 1 (2001) represents the most ancient classical repertoire for which composers remains anonymous. The Soul of pipa Vol. 2 (2003) reflects the time evolution of classical repertoire from the ancient traditions to the recent compositions.

Now in her early 30s, Liu Fang has been internationally acclaimed master of the Pipa.

Born in Kunming (China) in 1974, Liu Fang started learning the pipa (4-stringed lute) at the age of 6 and soon began to perform in public as a child prodigy, including a performance for the Queen of England. She graduated from Shanghai Conservatory where she also learnt to play the guzheng (21-string zither).

Since she moved to Montreal in 1996, Liu Fang has toured all over the world, building a remarkable artistic profile by captivating audiences and critics with her masterful, rich and deeply-spirited pipa and guzheng playing, as well as for her wide ranging repertoire. Among the numerous solo recitals, concertos and concerts with quartets and ensembles, Liu Fang has premiered a number of new compositions by celebrated Canadian composers such as R. Murray Schafer, Jose Evagelista.

She often appears on radio and TV nationally and internationally, and has produced three pipa solo CDs and several other albums collaborating with artists of various traditions where she plays both pipa and guzheng.

Her recent album “Le son de soie” produced by Accords Croises in Paris has honored her with the prestigious L’Academie Charles Cros Award, the French equivalent of the Grammy Awards. This is another prestigious prize since she received the Millennium Prize for Future Generations awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts in 2001.

Liu Fang‘s CDs are distributed by the Festival Distribution based in Vancouver, and are available in major music shops. They are also available on-line at www.philmultic.com.