| Han, Mei / Outside The Wall |
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| Album: | Outside The Wall | Collection: | World | |
| Artist: | Han, Mei | Added: | Sep 2005 | |
| Label: | Za Discs | |||
| A-File Activity |
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| Add Date: | 2006-01-15 | Pull Date: | 2006-03-19 | Charts: | Reggae/World, Classical/Experimental |
| Week Ending: | Mar 19 | Feb 26 | Feb 12 | Jan 22 |
| Airplays: | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Jul 27, 2011: | Killer Brown Bamboo, Silk And Stone | 4. | Mar 13, 2006: | banana in the middle 1.8: chinese 3 Variations On The Theme Of Plum Blossom | |
| 2. | May 16, 2011: | Moose Ain't Here Right Now Purple Lotus Bud | 5. | Feb 24, 2006: | No Cover, No Minimum Xi'an Medley | |
| 3. | Apr 16, 2011: | Music Casserole The Greening | 6. | Feb 07, 2006: | Eclectica: more mustaches? Xi'an Medley |
| Album Review |
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| Fo Reviewed 2006-01-06 | ||
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MEI HAN – “Outside the Wall” Za Discs, 2005 CHINA/CANADA – Han is an ethnomusicologist and master of the zheng, a 21-stringed Chinese zither. This disc consists mostly of new or recent works (1967-2005) by modernist composers, all but two are solo pieces. The zheng is a very versatile instrument, and Han gets a wide range of textures and moods from it, with near-silent plucking at one moment and a bold harplike sweep the next. This is serious art music, well rendered. Traditionalists, try 1 & 2. Experimentalists, try 8 & 9. 1. 6:29 – medley of old court tunes: quiet and pensive at first, then upbeat 2. 9:38 – a dramatic, tricky, and very expressive piece written for Japanese koto. 3. 6:36 - 4th-century song(!) in 3 variations: slow & serious, gently folksy, and back 4-7. a short suite: first quiet, then bolder with complex structure and big spaces. About 6 minutes total. 8. 16:22 – with string quartet!: abstract strings and spare zheng blossom into a wistful melody with almost Appalachian touches, then roam through many moods/modes, from gentle and pastoral to raw and scary, using both Chinese and European classical ideas. 9. 9:20 – electro-acoustic work with other instruments manipulated on tape, very atmospheric and unsettling, with a big crescendo midway through. [Fo] 1/6/06 | ||
| Track Listing |
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