Xiaogang Ye - Winter; etc. (Gilbert Varga; José Serebrier)

Information

Composer: Xiaogang Ye

• The Song of Sorrow and Gratification, Op. 67
• December Chrysanthemum, Op. 52b
• Winter I, Op. 28
• The Brilliance of Western Liang, Op. 16
• Starry Sky, Op. 56

Shenyang, bass-baritone

Sharon Bezaly, flute

Wei Lu, violin

Noriko Ogawa, piano

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Gilbert Varga, conductor

José Serebrier, conductor

Date: 2021

Label: BIS

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Review

BIS’s second album devoted to the music of Chinese composer Xiaogang Ye (b1955) includes two works from the early part of his career as well as three composed in the 21st century. Dating from 1983, The Brilliance of Western Liang, named after a fifth-century kingdom in north-west China, was composed as a graduation exercise during the composer’s time at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Drawing inspiration from ancient musical scores from the Tang Dynasty (618 907), Ye’s writing for violin and orchestra offers passages of remarkable lyrical beauty as well as fiercely dissonant climaxes worthy of Bartók. It makes a tremendous impression in this wonderfully ardent performance by soloist Wei Lu.

Winter, the first of three pieces by Ye with the same title, dates from 1988, shortly after his move to the US to study at the Eastman School of Music. Atmospherically scored with some memorable writing for bassoon, horn and marimba, it conveys a serious and often turbulent mood. Sparser in texture but similar in character, December Chrysanthemum was composed in 2006 in memory of the composer’s daughter, who died at the age of only 18 months. Winding its way throughout the work is a rhapsodic flute solo, virtuosically played here by Sharon Bezaly.

Composed in 2012, The Song of Sorrow and Gratification is a four-part song cycle set to texts by the Buddhist monk Li Shutong. The introspective and melancholic nature of the texts as well as the refinement of the scoring takes the listener to a place not far removed from that of Schoeck’s Elegie, although Ye’s music has a style recognisably his own. The recording benefits from a highly sympathetic performance by the work’s dedicatee, the bass-baritone Shenyang, sung in Mandarin.

Concluding the album is Starry Sky, composed for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. With a sweepingly romantic main theme, a multitude of percussion-capped orchestral climaxes and an ethereal close for children’s and women’s voices, it’s hardly a profound work but its sense of occasion is difficult to resist. Noriko Ogawa gives a suitably extrovert performance of the piano solo originally played by Lang Lang. Whether led by José Serebrier or Gilbert Varga, the orchestral playing in all five works is splendidly committed and the recording throughout is superb. An outstanding release.

— Christian Hoskins

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Xiaogang Ye (born 23 September 1955) is a Chinese composer who was educated at the Central Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music. His extensive oeuvre spans orchestral, chamber, stage and film music, often integrating Chinese cultural, philosophical and natural themes. Major works have been performed internationally, including The Song of the Earth and music premiered at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ye has held prominent cultural and academic leadership roles in China and abroad, received numerous prestigious awards, and was the first Chinese composer signed by Schott Music.

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Gilbert Varga (born 1952 in London) is a British-Hungarian conductor and the son of celebrated Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga. Studied under Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Charles Bruck, he developed from a chamber orchestra specialist into an internationally recognized symphonic conductor. Varga has held major leadership roles with orchestras across Europe and Asia, including the Basque National Orchestra and Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as guest conductor with leading ensembles worldwide. His critically acclaimed discography includes award-winning recordings on BIS and Naïve Records.

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José Serebrier (born 3 December 1938) is a Uruguayan conductor and composer. A prodigious musician, he graduated from the Municipal School of Music in Montevideo and pursued advanced studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, Tanglewood, and with Pierre Monteux. He made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 1965 and later served as Associate Conductor to Leopold Stokowski. Serebrier has toured extensively with leading orchestras worldwide and held notable conducting posts. His career is marked by exceptional recording success, including 37 Grammy nominations, 8 Grammy wins, and major Latin Grammy honors.

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