Silk and Bamboo Ensemble – Traditional Chinese Music (Arc Music, 2008)
Chen Dacan’s Chinese Ensemble – Classical Chinese Folk Music, featuring the Chinese flute (Arc Music EUCD2193, 2009)
Two recordings on the ARC Music label provide a fascinating view of Chinese traditional music made by Chinese expatriates. Silk and Bamboo Ensemble presents a collection of traditional, regional and contemporary ensemble and solo pieces titled Traditional Chinese Music. The Silk and Bamboo Ensemble, based in London, UK, is a group of virtuoso, classically trained musicians led by pipa and guqin player Cheng Yu.
The Silk and Bamboo Ensemble includes Chen Dacan, former erhu professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and expert on the Daoist religion and its music. He plays erhu, gaohu, jinghu fiddles; Cheng Yu on pipa and zhongruan lutes; Hu Bin on erhu; Hu Ruijun on dizi and xiao bamboo flutes; Li Ming on yangqin dulcimer; Liu Haishuo on ban and gu percussion; and Liu Xiaohu on sheng mouth organ.
Chen Dacan has a separate project called Chen Dacan’s Chinese Ensemble. The latest recording is titled Classical Chinese Folk Music, featuring the Chinese flute (2009). The ensemble includes flute soloist Li He from Beijing, Chen Dacan on erhu and Zhao Zhenren on yangqin and percussion.
Both albums include detailed liner notes in English, Spanish and German with information about the musicians, musical instruments and their music.
Traditional Chinese Ensemble and Classical Chinese Folk Music, featuring the Chinese flute are beautiful examples of Chinese traditional music performed by some of China’s finest musicians.
Buy the recordings:
- In North America: Traditional Chinese Ensemble, Classical Chinese Folk Music
- In Europe:Traditional Chinese Music, Classical Chinese Folk Music
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
