Water Lily CD - Program Notes
1. The Sound of Rain
Composed by Grace Chang ( Chyong-Hwa Ou). This is a meditative piece intended to calm the heart and bring cheer to the day
2. Plum Blossom
This is a classical tune for the In, a 7-string instrument from the Jin Dynasty (AD 265 to 420); it was later adopted for the zheng. The plum tree is a symbol of integrity for the Chinese people, since it stays strong and still blossoms in defiance of the frost and the snow.
3. The Lotus Fairy
Composed by Grace Chang (Chyong-Hwa Ou). Chinese people look at the Lotus, or Lily flower, as a symbol of dignity and nobility, since the lotus can appear beautiful and clean even while growing in the mud. This song is dedicated to the achievements of courageous women who can keep their good qualities, even in the mud of difficulty.
4. Butterfly Lovers
A violin concerto composed by Chen gang and He Zhan-Hao, and arranged to the zheng by Zhuang Guo-Nian. It was inspired by an old folktale: Two young people fell completely in love with each other after had spent three school years together, but society frowned upon their union, not allowed them to get married. Face with this fate, the lovers decided to choose death together over life apart. They turned into two butterflies after their death, free at last.
5. Di Nu Hua - the emperors concubine
Arranged by Grace Chang (Chyong-Hwa Ou). This arrangement is base on the same story as The Tears of the Han Emperor's Concubine (see description for track 6). This arrangement is intended to be more optimistic, feeling the light amidst the darkness.
6. Tears of the Han Emperor's Concubine
This song is arranged from Pi-pa music. One of the four beauties of Chinese history, and one of the Han Emperor's concubines, Lady Wang, was given to the barbarians to prevent them from attacking. This song tells of her sorrow and homesickness.
7. Story From the West Wing
This song is from the Hakka zheng repertoire.
8. Red Wax Tears
This piece is Cantonese music arranged by Su Zhenpo. A woman dearly missed her lover, and tears ran down her face like wax down a lit candle.
9. Market Day
This is a contemporary piece arranged by Liu Wei-Shan. This was a pipa piece composed in the 1960s, based on "Picking Blossoms", a folk song from Sichuan province. The music describes the festive occasion, and the joy and excitement of the youthful market-goers. Market days are celebratory instances in the lives of the people of southwestern China. Besides for the trading and bartering of goods, it is also a good time for music and dancing, as well as a good way for young people to meet each other.
10. Dance of Yao People
This piece was adapted from orchestra music, which was originally composed by Liu Teisan. The music illustrates young girls dancing under the moonlight to the sound of drums.
11. The Emerging Lily
This piece is from the Hakka zheng repertoire. The music speaks this message: The lotus grows out of the mud, yet remains unstained. It plays with the ripples, yet remains dignified.
12. High Mountain, Flowing Stream
This is a classical tune of Zhejiang School. This piece is written in an ancient and elegant style, depicting scenery through the music. It consists of two sections, "High Mountain" and "Flowing Stream". The first section involves the use of the notes gliding through two octaves to depict the magnificent, tall mountain. The second section involves the continuous plucking of the strings one by one, up and down the scale, to depict the flowing of small streams and the roaring of large rivers. The music brings a living presence of the natural environment to the listeners. However, it should be noted that the depiction of natural scenes is only one way of expressing the internal thoughts.
13. Boat Song of Wusuli River
This song was adapted from a Heilongjiang folk song, and was arranged by Xiang Xinmei.
14. Evening Song in the Fishing Boat
Lou Shu-Hua. Passed down this piece. The given title came from a poem from the Tang Dynasty. The music depicts majestic scene: a golden sunset reflecting on a lake, with several fishing boats returning from a day of work. At the end of the piece, the zheng imitates the sound of rowing on the water.
15. Chen Xing-Yuan Enters the Garden
This piece is from the Henan zheng repertoire. There is a story behind this composition. In the Tang Dynasty, a high official named Chen Risheng who had a daughter of exceptional beauty. However, she was also ill-fated enough to be trapped in an evil plot, and was deported to a northern minority state. On the way, she tried to end her tragic life by jumping from a cliff. Instead, she was stopped from committing the act, saved by a hermit living on the mountain. She then was sent by carriage to the home of a Zhou official. When she regained consciousness, she told the sad story. The music vividly depicts the image of the common female, who falls victim to the oppression of society, and its evils. Unique techniques in this song, such as intense shaking, widely used trills, rubbing, and sliding, have depended the atmosphere of grief and sadness. Zheng tones are richly expressive, rendering the melody so touching that listeners frequently have to wipe away tears after experiencing the music.
16. Ode to Guangling
This classical piece, originally written for the seven-stringed qin music, was adapted to zheng by Wang Changyuan. This is an ancient work dating from the Wei dynasty (220 to 265). It tells of the assassination of King Han by Zei Zhang during the Warring States Period (475 - 221). The expression of the piece varies from subtle gentility to strong grievance. It is considered a masterpiece of qin music. The performing tradition of Guang Ling can be traced back to Ji Kang (223 - 263), who was famous for his performance of the piece, and was said to have played it just before his execution for political reasons.
