Traditional Chinese Guzheng Music

Interpreted by Liu Fang

14.12.2008: Liu Fang interview and live performance on Dutch TV (See the complete TV program on the web)

An extract (4 min.) from a documentary by CBC TV (BravoCanada) broadcasted on January 12, 2008, 8:30pm. Thanks to BBC (BravoCanada) for the permission to use this recording for demo purposes. (more ...)

December 14, 2008: Interview and live performance at the famous Dutch vrijegeluiden TV (music channel).

No. 1: "Guangling fantasia" (Guang Ling San) – a famous ancient guqin tune, later transcribed by Wang Changyuan for guzheng solo, recorded live at Liu Fang's solo recital in the Theatre de la Ville of Paris on May 8, 2006.

About the music:

The original guqin solo was composed by the renowned scholar and guqin master, Ji Kang, one of the “seven gentlemen in the bamboo forest” in the Wei period (3rd century). It is a traditional piece from the Chinese classical repertoire.

Click here for another version, recorded live at Liu Fang's solo recital at the Almeria Music Festival, Spain on June 19, 2008.

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Press Reviews

"... She has an extraordinary focused, poised presence in her manner and her playing. In a lesser player this is just a trained formality; the body of material and techniques for her instruments is extremely highly developed, passed down through centuries. But Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity and flexibility that marks a true musician. ..." - fROOTS Magazine 2006.06

"... graceful, soft, yet powerful, ... Thus the joy of this album is not just in the supernaturally soothing and meditative quality of Fang’s pipa, but its merging with other meditative instruments from around the world, ..." - DailyOM, December 25, 2006.

(See more press reviews ...)

No. 2: "Seagulls playing in water" (Hanya Xishui) - traditional piece from the Chinese classical repertoire, recorded live at Liu Fang's solo recital in the Theatre de la Ville of Paris on May 8, 2006. The whole piece is about 6 minutes.

About this piece

This is one of the most famous Chaozhou Zheng solo pieces. With its rich poetic sentiment it describes the scene of carefree seagulls leisurely playing over the sea, pursuing each other happily and expressing a kind of comfortable ease one seeks in life.

No. 2b: "The autumn moon in the palace of a Han emperor" (Hangong Qiuyue):

traditional piece from the Chinese classical repertoire, recorded live at Liu Fang's solo recital in the Pierre-mercurre Hall, Centre Pierre-Peladou, Montreal, on march 27, 2003.

The whole piece is about 6 minutes

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About this piece

This ancient melody is said to represent the loneliness and melancholic feeling of the court ladies in the palace of a Han Emperor. The title just perfectly reflects the musical atmosphere.

No. 3: "Chanting of a tiema" (Tie MaYin):

composed by Zhao Dengshan in 1980s, recorded live at Liu Fang's solo recital in the Pierre-mercurre Hall, Centre Pierre-Peladou, Montreal, on march 27, 2003.

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Other sources for online listening:

Video clip from Mondomix: Liu Fang solo recital at the "Theatre de la Ville" in Paris, May 8, 2006 (Pipa solo: The ambush)

More video clips (including complete pieces) on youtube Webcasting ...

Video clips (including complete pieces) from google video ...

[Click here for pipa solo demo]

Detailed CD information with repertoires and music samples

[Contact and booking]

[Press reviews]