French composer Qigang Chen was raised and first musically educated in China, ultimately finding his voice as a composer as a student of
Olivier Messiaen. Chen is a very promising talent in contemporary music and in his work he bridges traditional Chinese elements with Western instrumental forces without making the music sound like accompaniment to a travelogue. But that is not to say that Chen's music isn't cinematic, and likewise, he makes considerable use of the tools of late twentieth century techniques. But Chen carefully chooses from what he has at hand and always places his craft at the service of personal expression. This disc features three Qigang Chen works that exemplify both his progress and stylistic diversity. The cello piece Reflet d'un temps disparu (1995-1996) features
Yo-Yo Ma as soloist and is the most immediately accessible piece on the disc. It is followed by an orchestral suite, Wu Xing (1999), that is made up of short movements that represent the elements of water, wood, fire, earth, and metal in strikingly visual/aural terms. The main course is Iris dévoilée (2001), an ambitious suite concertante for two sopranos, one Chinese opera soprano, three Chinese traditional instruments, and a huge symphonic component. This work is divided into nine movements signifying different feminine behavioral attributes. Iris dévoilée is at various times atmospheric, pastoral, spectral, nocturnal, glittery, and at a couple of points, downright scary. As interesting as it is on disc, Iris dévoilée may well be more effective in the concert hall. This disc is as excellent an introduction to Chen's work as one can imagine, but bear in mind that this music may well be better experienced in person.