Bright
SHENG
Flute Moon for piccolo/flute, harp, piano, percussion
and string orchestra
China Dreams for orchestra.
Postcards for orchestra
Sharon Bezaly
(piccolo/flute)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui.
BIS- CD- 1122 (DDD)
[59.03]
Crotchet
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
This is a winner.
Flute Moon of 1999 starts with exciting string-stirring slightly
reminiscent of Shostakovich's forays as in the superb Eighth Symphony. Here
Bright Sheng gives us unbridled excitement and music that presses forward
relentlessly. The drama is captivating, the scoring flawless and the performance
simply stunning. When the piccolo enters the music is even brighter
(sorry, not intended as a joke) and the music bounces
and sparkles along with great élan. After all it is a dance - whether
it is wild or primitive does not matter. It is
very exciting. Truly spellbinding, fascinating and a real joy. The
second piece is often reflective but never dull. The world is full of slow
music that is painfully dull. Not this. Full of interesting colours and ideas.
The solo flautist is excellent (it is very difficult to play) and the music
is very evocative. The use of percussion is a revelation. I cannot imagine
the recorded sound being better. And the music scintillates. I cannot fault
the work or the performance. A truly amazing experience. Real class, the
music is so true to life, so human. All our emotions are there and sometimes
only music can express them. Words are often inadequate.
The excellent booklet tells us that China Dreams is a symphony
in all but name lasting about twenty five minutes. The prelude has two themes
both pentatonic. There follows a terrific fanfare with polyrhythms and a
breathing space before the shattering climax. Not for the amateur musicians.
I cannot see bands in the services ever coping with this. The third movement,
The Stream Flows, is for strings alone and introduces a folk melody
from the Yunnen region. It is often very beautiful with an intensity that
stands between Schoenberg's Transfigured Night, the sexiest piece
of music ever written, and Bartók's Music for strings,
percussion and celesta. The finale evokes
The Three Gorges of the Long River and both their breathtaking beauty
and awesomeness is captured here. One can visualise the river's narrow stretches,
the rapids and the power of the watercourses as well as the quiet moments
on the river. This is evocative music, beautifully conceived.
Bright Sheng was born in Shanghai in 1955. He worked as a pianist and
percussionist in folk music and dance troupes. He went to the local university.
Then he moved to New York in 1982 and, among his teachers were Jack Beeson,
famous for his terrific opera Lizzie Borden, and Leonard Bernstein.
He also studied there with Chou Wen-Chung and his orchestral piece And
the Fallen Petals seems to stand behind Sheng's work to a limited extent.
Postcards of 1997 is another success where small forces are used to
telling effect. The second movement is festive and the finale a love song.
As I have said before all human emotions are here. It is often said, with
truth, that money talks. Yes. But here this very special music speaks words
and feelings that cannot be uttered in any other form. Yet the music is not
sentimental rubbish.
A note on the performers. Sharon Bezaly was born in Israel in 1972 and at
the age of 14 was invited by Zubin Mehta to be the soloist with the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra. Sandor Végh asked her to be principal flautist
of the Camerata Academia in Salzburg where she lives.
Lan Shui was born in China and studied the violin. In 1985 he made his conducting
début with the Central Philharmonic in Beijing and, two months later,
became the conductor of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 he accepted
an invitation to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra where David
Zinman took him under his wing. He has conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
and deputised for Kurt Masur. He is a name to watch.
The orchestra was formed in 1979 and I'll tell you, they are good! This is
a winner.
David Wright
