SCENTED MAIDEN, by GUO GAN

SCENTED MAIDEN

by GUO GAN

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€10 EUR or more

1.	PINGHU QIUYUE (Autumn moon on the calm lake) 03:48	buy track
2.	MUYANG NU (The sheperdess) 04:15	buy track
3.	LIANG XIAO (A beautiful night) 03:28	buy track
4.	SAIMA (Horse race) 05:02	buy track
5.	ERQUAN YING YUE (Reflections of the moon on erquan) 06:48	buy track
6.	KONGSHAN NIAO YU (Bird calls in the desolate mountain) 04:06	buy track
7.	HAN GONG QIUYUE (Autumn moon over the palace of the Han) 04:17	buy track
8.	MAN SAN LIU (Three-six slow version) 07:10	buy track
9.	XIANGSHUI NUHAI (Scented maiden) 02:43	buy track
10.	SHANGHAI FANGUAN (ShanghaiTaverns) 02:45	buy track

about

Often described as the Chinese ‘violin’, the erhu belongs to the fiddle family, that is to say lute family - for the shape - but whose strings are made to vibrate with a bow.

The erhu has two metal strings, which used to be made of silk in the past; it is equipped with a fretless neck mounted in a small resonating chamber of hexagonal or octagonal shape. This type of instrument has a non-Chinese origin: it seems to have been imported from Central Asia or borrowed from the nomadic peoples of the North, not earlier than the tenth century. The erhu was traditionally played in regional opera and instrumental ensembles. Only in the twentieth century it became a solo recital instrument. In the 1920s, artists such as conservatory professor Liu Tianhua or Abing, a street musician, began composing music showing the level of expressiveness the erhu is capable of, thus transforming this Chinese fiddle into a virtuoso instrument. The new erhu compositions by conservatory-trained artists combined some traditional Chinese elements with Western ones, such as aspects of violin technique.
The CD presents several classic pieces from the repertoire of erhu, pieces from important composers of this century (Lü Wencheng, Cao Yuanda, Liu Tianhua, Abing) often inspired by folk melodies (Muyang nü, The shepherdess; Saima, Horse race) or from landscapes and natural event (Pinghu qiuyue, Autumn moon on the calm lake; Liang xiao, A beautiful night, Erquan ying yue, Reflections of the moon on Erquan).
The CD is completed by two original compositions by GUO Gan. Xiangshui nühai, Scented maiden, is a tribute to the beauty of Chinese women and Shanghai fanguan, Shanghai Taverne, describes the warm welcome typical of small restaurants in the city, with a musical style that is copied from the Jiangnan sizhu genre.