In BIS' Chinoiserie, pianist Jenny Lin brings one of the most compelling and relevant themed recitals to be heard on disc in years, a collection of pieces by Western composers that attempts to explore the subject of China in some regard, not only musically but culturally.It is said that bandleader Cab Calloway once upbraided a young trumpeter in his band for playing "Chinese music"; the player was Dizzy Gillespie and the music was bebop. At one time, the very terms Chinese music were used to describe music so foreign as to ...
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In BIS' Chinoiserie, pianist Jenny Lin brings one of the most compelling and relevant themed recitals to be heard on disc in years, a collection of pieces by Western composers that attempts to explore the subject of China in some regard, not only musically but culturally.It is said that bandleader Cab Calloway once upbraided a young trumpeter in his band for playing "Chinese music"; the player was Dizzy Gillespie and the music was bebop. At one time, the very terms Chinese music were used to describe music so foreign as to be incomprehensible to the listener. The 13 composers represented on Chinoiserie did not, or don't, feel that way, but the form of expression varies widely among them; they range from Rossini to contemporary composer Jacqueline Waeber-Diaz. In Abram Chasins' Rush Hour in Hong Kong and Ketèlbey's In a Chinese Temple Garden, both formerly very famous pieces, we experience the traditional Western caricatures of Chinese music, whereas in Alexander Tcherepnin's Five Chinese Concert Etudes...
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