March 26, 2010
Chamber Music Concert

"Up Close and Classical" 

Presented by the Arts Council of Princeton, featuring Bravura Philharmonic Artists in 
"Around the World from 21 Strings to 88 Keys"

Featuring  
Chiu-Tze Lin, Pianist
Yang Yi, Chinese Guzheng Master

Program
Chinese Guzheng Music
Schumann Carnaval 
Chopin Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2

Return to 2009-10 Season

Program

Winter Ravens Frolic In the Water 《寒鴨嬉水》Guang Dong Chao Zhou Style
An important repertory piece in the Keija School of zheng music of southern China. A raised fourth-scale degree is the pivotal note in its melodic construction. A silky texture with crystalline notes that bend and reverberate adds to the elegance of this music.
 
Snow Mountain in Early Spring 《雪山春晓》    Fan Shang Er
The music describes the magnificent view of the Tibetan highland in early spring and the joyful scene of the people who sing and dance to celebrate the festival.

The Heroic Little Sisters on the Grassland《草原英雄小姐妹》
This brilliant composition is based on a true story from Inner Mongolia.  It is about two young sisters who risked their lives to save their commune's sheep herd during a sudden snowstorm.

Schumann Carnaval, Op. 9

Chopin Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2

Ms. Yang Yi is one of the foremost Guzheng masters in the world, described by the New York Times as “fascinating, surprising, and extraordinarily beautiful" and “extraordinarily fantastic, intensive, and passionate" by the German News.  A winner of the International Chinese Instruments Competition and recipient of numerous other awards, Yang Yi was on the faculty of the prestigious China Conservatory of music, of which she is an alumna. She has performed as a soloist with the most renowned of Chinese musical groups, including the Chinese National Orchestra, China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, China National Song and Dance Ensemble, China National Opera House, and Beijing Song and Dance Ensemble. Last March, Yang Yi was the soloist in the US premiere performance of the “Regretted Separation” He Zhan Hao. She brought this composition to the greater Princeton area with the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra to great critical acclaim.  Ms. Yang has toured extensively throughout Asia, Europe, and the US, and has performed in prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall (UK), Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal (Germany), Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. Yang Yi has world premiered many new composition of renowned composers such as Chen Yi, Tan Dun, Lutz-Werner Hesse, Lee Tzyy-sheng, and Zhou QinRu.  She is the founder and the music director of the Eastern Culture and Performing Arts Center (ECPAC), based in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Pianist and Conductor of the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, Chiu-Tze Lin is a multifaceted musician whose musical career has spanned across America, Asia, and Europe.  As a pianist, the New York Times describes her playing as having “... a strong technique … a hearty tone that sounded big and unforced …” and “provides the greatest musical pleasure.”  A Steinway artist, Ms. Lin has performed in China, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and orchestras in Europe. She made her critically-acclaimed New York debut in Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, and repeated her success at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall in 1990.  Miss Lin’s second CD that features Works of J. S. Bach was recognized as a recommended CD by the Bravo Baroque organization.  It has been described by the New York Concert Review Magazine as a “…. most satisfying performance … with eloquence and sensitivity … and with sense of warmth and communicative immediacy …” The CD has been broadcast on classical music stations across the US.