Various Composers - Piano Miniatures from China (Edward Han Jiang)

Information

1. Jianzhong Wang - Liuyang River
2. Sun Yiqiang - Spring Dance
3. Edward Han Jiang - Children's Corner: I. Panda Blues
4. Edward Han Jiang - Children's Corner: II. Peking Opera on Black Keys
5. Edward Han Jiang - Children's Corner: III. Etude on a Pentatonic Scale
6. Edward Han Jiang - Children's Corner: IV. Flowing Stream Beneath a Little Bridge
7. Traditional - Jasmine Flower (arr. E.H. Jiang)
8. Traditional - A Moonlit Night on the Spring River (arr. E.H. Jiang)
9. Ming Wang - Velvet Flowers (arr. E.H. Jiang)
10. Jianzhong Wang - 4 Shanbei Folk Songs: No. 3, Embroidering Golden Silk Banner
11. Shi-Guang Cui - By the Songhua River
12. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 1, Missing Moon
13. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 2, Staccato Beans
14. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 3, Herdboy's Song
15. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 4, Blue Nun
16. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 5, Red Wilderness
17. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 6, Ancient Burial
18. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 7, Floating Clouds
19. Tan Dun - 8 Memories in Watercolor: No. 8, Sunrain
20. Edward Han Jiang - Improvisation on the Theme of Yu Guang Qu

Edward Han Jiang, piano

Date: 2023

Label: Grand Piano

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Description

Piano Miniatures from China is a collection of ten piano pieces that are most representative of Chinese culture. When the music coalesces into the black and white keys, layer upon layer, a vivid Chinese water ink painting emerges in spirit. The painting portrays the Songhua River from the North, the Liuyang River from the South, the bold Spring Dance from the West and the graceful Jasmine Flower from the East. The moon from the Tang lights the present, the prosaic ink painting becomes picturesque sonorities. Without a doubt, these pieces amassed from across the mountain spines and flowing rivers of Greater China are the primitive memories of the present nation’s culture.

Liuyang River is in the southern area of China. The composition encompasses the elements of traditional folk song from the Hunan province. Gentle in its nature, the piece depicts the beautiful scenery of the Liuyang River as well as the passion the people have for their nation. Liuyang River and another piece from this album, Embroidering a Portrait in Gold, are both composed by Wang Jianzhong (1933–2016), the former vice president of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. His piano compositions and arrangements integrate traditional Chinese music elements with the art of piano performance, producing countless classics in Chinese piano composition literature. His representative works include Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon and Liuyang River, etc.

Spring Dance was composed by Sun Yiqiang (b. 1945) in 1980. The piece is potent in its incorporation of elements from the Xinjiang ethnic group. The structure is extensive, with intricate rhythmic designs, numerous dynamic variations, and comprising almost all of the advanced piano techniques, making it one of the most technically challenging piano works. Sun Yiqiang’s representative works include Barley Dance and Spring Dance, among others.

Children’s Corner is a suite of four piano pieces for children composed by Edward Han Jiang (b. 1991). I. Panda Blues introduces blue scales, contrasting staccato with legato to characterise the clumsy and adorable nature of a panda. II. Peking Opera on the Black Keys requires the performer to use the left forearm to silently press down the black keys from the bass area, then use the right hand to perform Peking Operatic melodies on the higher registers of the piano. This novel technique allows the performer to hear the harmonic series more clearly and explore other possibilities of sustaining sounds outside of using the pedal. III. Étude on a Pentatonic Scale samples a typical melodic pattern from Peking Opera, the Xi-pi. The piece uses an abundance of repeated notes and embellishments during an exciting and fast-paced tempo. IV. Flowing Stream Beneath a Little Bridge is a two-voice contrapuntal composition portraying the peaceful scenery of a sunlit garden, with streams flowing under a bridge.

Edward Han Jiang has multiple works that are compiled into the RCM Celebration Series®. Besides his original compositions, this album has also collected Jiang’s improvised performance on the theme of Yu Guang Qu as well as his piano arrangements. Jasmine Flower is the most renowned and influential folk tune of Greater China. The aroma of the jasmine flower is pure and graceful. A Moonlit Night on the Spring River is music dating back to the Tang Dynasty with a history of over 1300 years. The piece sets the scene of an alluring night with the moon shining upon the flowing river. Velvet Flower is a piano arrangement of the popular tune, structured in rounded ternary form, with complicated textures and rich harmonic changes, demanding high technical proficiency from the performer. Jiang’s representative works include the chamber works Weeping Dewdrops, Drizzle, and Sorrowful Farewell, and the symphonic poem Floating Ink, among others.

By the Songhua River, composed by Cui Shi-Guang (b. 1948), illustrates the scenery of a northern Chinese river. The dauntless Songhua River is contrasted with the meandering Liuyang River. This piece displays the love people have for their nation and their heroic resistance against invading outside forces.

Eight Memories in Watercolor is Tan Dun’s piano suite comprised of eight pieces, illustrating pleasant images of water painting. Tan Dun (b. 1957), the first generation of composers after 1977, known as one of the “four prodigies” from the Central Conservatory of Music, has received the award for Best Original Film Score at the 73rd Oscars and the 44th GRAMMY Awards for director Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He is one of the most notable and widely performed Chinese composers.

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Edward Han Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian pianist, composer and educator. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Central Conservatory of Music in 2014 and his Master's degree from the University of British Columbia in 2017. A Board Member of the Pacific Rim International Music and Education Society, he has been an RCM Honorary Fellow since 2023. As a pianist, he is acclaimed for performances of late Romantic and Chinese repertoire, with recordings on Naxos and broadcasts on Radio France Musique. His compositions span orchestral, chamber and vocal works, widely performed internationally.

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