West Meets East
Jun Qian, Ben Quarles, Todd Meehan, Kayleen Sánchez, Paul Sánchez, Jian Bing Hu, Jing Zhou, Scott Steele
The title of this recording explains what it is: West Meets Eastclarinet music by Western composers influenced by Chinese culture. Clarinetist Jun Qian, himself Chinese-American, has long been fascinated with cross-culturalinfluences, as this CD of world premiere recordings so aptly demonstrates. He established the East Meets West Project in 2010 to commission and record new compositions for clarinet that are inspired by Asian cultures and that combine Chinese musical elements with Western art music. This is Qian's third recording for Albany Records, the first two concentrating on Chinese composers influenced by Western culture. A member of the faculty at Baylor University, Jun Qian enjoys an international career as a soloist, recitalist and educator. He studied at Baylor University and the Eastman School of Music.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Monkey King for B-flat Clarinet & Fixed Media | Justin Merritt | Jun Qian, clarinet |
| Arabesque for Solo Clarinet | Matthias Müeller | Jun Qian, clarinet |
| Funk Shui for Clarinet & Bass Clarinet | Patrick Lenz | Jun Qian, clarinet; Ben Quarles, bass clarinet |
| Azure Dragon of the East for B-flat Clarinet & Percussion | Edward J.F. Taylor | Jun Qian, clarinet; Todd Meehan, percussion |
| Free Translations of Li-Ch'ing-Chao: Three Musical Settings for Clarinet, Soprano & Piano | Paul Sánchez | Jun Qian, clarinet; Paul Sánchez, piano; Kayleen Sánchez, soprano |
| New York Improvisatory Dialogue II for Clarinet & Sheng | Jun Qian & Jian Bing Hu | Jun Qian, clarinet; Jian Bing Hu, sheng |
| Su Counterpoint for Clarinet, Percussion & Zheng | Scott Steele | Jun Qian, clarinet; Scott Steele, percussion; Jing Zhou, guzheng |
Reviews
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"The concert is well done, propelled by strong performances and a program with something for everyone. The music ranges from the rhythmically invigorating Funk Shui to the bizarre yet catchy Monkey King and from the abstract and ethereal Azure Dragon of the East to the beautiful and affecting Free Translations. Qian leads with a clear and responsive tone, a wide dynamic range, solid technique, and good expressive instincts His colleagues are skilled as well, from the pure and simple voice of Kayleen Sanchez to the intensity of Meehan, Steele, Zhou, and Hu. "
*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.