"...
a virtuoso player of the pipa (and no slouch on the guzheng zither),
as ably displayed on this CD of time-worn compositions from back
home. She shifts nimbly from sparse passages that allow the pipa's
sharp tones to blossom and breathe, to blistering runs that, in
their density, would make flamenco masters weep. -
Rupert Bottenberg,
Montreal Mirror, March 21, 2002.
"...
Liu's latest CD, Chinese Pipa Music From the Classical Tradition,
features the unaccompanied musician working the pipa's four strings
and 30 frets. The eight pieces convey haunting, almost cinematic
soundscapes, as on A Moon-lit Night on the Xunyang River and Ducks
Playing in Cold Water..." - BERNARD
PERUSSE, The Gazette (Montreal), March 26, 2002.
"Liu
Fang’s achievement as a musician is a testimony to how an
artist who has roots firmly grounded in the classical and folkloric
traditions may soar above the confines of established institutes
and schools to attain a freedom of expression that yields a music
of unparalleled purity. Since Liu Fang settled in Montreal in 1996,
she has evolved as a truly unique performer of the Pipa. Her current
interpretations of these ancient classics transcend the rules so
completely that she plays with unrivaled natural virtuosity. One
finds oneself listening to her playing with utter astonishment as
if hearing this music for the first time, just as it was originally
meant to sound." -Gabriel Safdie
"I think Liu Fang is a fabulous musician. The first 7 tracks
of "Soul of Pipa I" gave me the feeling of youth and sweetness.
The very classical style and the composure with which she played
those pieces certainly revealed her complete control and confidence
in the instrument. Those pieces brought peace and quietness to the
heart, and subsided anxiety, uneasiness with clarity and serenity.
This is not to say that there is a lack of passion in Liu Fang's
playing. However, her multidimensional virtuosity started to usher
itself with "Sunny Spring and white snow", a traditional, yet very
challenging ancient piece of work. The melodic flow of the music
mantled the underlying emotional energy that could lead to a wild
eruption at any time. Liu Fang shows off her mastering of Pipa and
music with "The King Chu doffs his Armour". It is hard to believe
that such music could have come from a girl of this young age. This
musical, spiritual, and instrumental encore sounds more like a downpour
of mixed, yet contradictory moods. Liu Fang is never lost or deluded
by the music; instead, she leads, conducts, and guides the music,
as well as the audience, into a virtual world full of colors and
conflicts: aspiration vs. desperation, life vs. death, to succumb
vs. to resist. The intricacy is elaborately and fully interpreted
with impeccable technique. The intensive percussions almost produced
smoke out of the strings, while the slower passages echoed with
hopelessness and disappointment. " Guitarscape.com
