A sophomore release (on Lyrichord, at any rate) from
Liang Tsai-Ping, the president of the Chinese Classical Music Association. The music played on the album is split more or less in half between ancient traditional works and new compositions by
Tsai-Ping. The music is performed beautifully, as one would expect from the president of such a society. Much of the work is rather slow, in almost a processional sense. Much of it, though, is also flowing, making full use of arpeggios and near-glissandos within the 16 strings of the instrument. The sound is always pensive, as any well-performed cheng music generally is, and the compositions work well for the album. This album would make a decently good start for a foray into the concepts of Chinese classical music, but something more substantial might do well as an addition for the serious ethnomusicologist listener. ~ Adam Greenberg