The Silk String Quartet has released a beautiful CD filled with beautiful Chinese classical music for world music lovers to dive into.  Formed in 2006 it features four fine artists who are classically trained in China and have extensive experience and musical education in both Chinese music and Western classical.

The disc opens with lively piece that comes from the Shanghai region.  It features nimble string work on the pipa (Chinese lute), yangqin (hammered dulcimer) and the guzheng (21string zither) with the bowed ehru singing beautifully over the top.  Then it moves into a wonderful impressionistic piece called Waterscape Silhouette by Mo Fan in three movements.  The composer developed the piece specifically for this arrangement by adapting folk songs from his region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.  The imagery of the water is created by the artists in unconventional manner and is a beautiful representation of Southeast China.

The third piece is a very interesting composition by Hu Dengtiao and was composed to represent a portion of the large music suites of the Tang Dynasty.  The title comes from a piece that was lost years ago but was written about in poetry of the time.  Hu Dengtiao composed the piece to represent a section of the original.  It opens with pipa and has a very courtly manner about it.  You can hear the love of Emperor Xuanzong for his lover Yang Guifei as she dances to the music.

The fourth features a composition called Raining in my Heart, by Tang Kianping, one of the new composers of the day and the head of the Composition Department at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.  The delicate playing of the pipa, guzheng and yangqin again provide a base for the erhu to sing.

One of my favorite listening experiences is to hear pieces that I’ve become familiar with and one appears on this disc called Autumn Moon over the Still Lake.  In this arrangement we hear the quartet adapt music found normally with Guzheng and Di or Xiao from the Canton area.  The erhu does sings the melody with the cry of the di, as the the other instruments support the lyrical development.  It is no surprise to find that the style is popular beyond the Canton area.

Then we hear a piece composed for pipa, Flute and Drum at Sunset.  It was arranged for quartet by Chen Yu.  The pipa is a lovely instrument but when supported by the other stringed instruments in the ensemble you can enjoy the melody all the more.  Composed by Ju Shilin in the 18th century, Chen Yu demonstrates more than simply virtuoso playing but a lively artistic experience that is a must to hear for anyone who loves pipa.

The final piece features a famous song from Qinhai province, In that Remote Place, arranged by Mo Fan.  It is a beautiful romantic piece arranged especially for the Silk String Quartet by Fan, and it tells the story of a young man in love with a shepherd girl who is ready to give up all he owns “to be a little lamb always by her side”.   It features each instrument very well and moves from open melodies to rhythmic gaits that remind of youthful love and that longing to be close to someone who felt so far away yet so familiar.

ARC Music is known for its extensive catalogue of world music and this disc only continues that tradition.  It is a great addition to any respectable world music collection.  I listen to these pieces often when I do taiji but could also be enjoyable for gatherings and personal listening.  The liner notes compliment the great recording quality and are featured in English, German, French and Spanish.