Young, Taiwan-born pianist Evelyn Chang's debut solo disc from Avie, Poets from the East, takes the idea of "East" properly but in a more expanded sense than many might consider it. The program consists of two Russian composers, one Bulgarian and one Taiwanese; while Russian twentieth-century master Alexander Scriabin is certainly a known quantity and filmgoers may have some sense of connection with film composer Leonid Desyatnikov, the names of Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova and Taiwan's Ma Shui-Long may be wholly ...
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Young, Taiwan-born pianist Evelyn Chang's debut solo disc from Avie, Poets from the East, takes the idea of "East" properly but in a more expanded sense than many might consider it. The program consists of two Russian composers, one Bulgarian and one Taiwanese; while Russian twentieth-century master Alexander Scriabin is certainly a known quantity and filmgoers may have some sense of connection with film composer Leonid Desyatnikov, the names of Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova and Taiwan's Ma Shui-Long may be wholly new to listeners. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by virtue of being scared off by the sheer aspect of novelty, as all of the music on Poets from the East is directly stated, communicative, and instinctual, and Chang's playing falls right in line with such requirements, though she adds her own, special sense of touch and expression that marries the whole program together. It is a common strategy in classical recordings to place a well-known composer in the company of relative...
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