JIANG JIAN HUA - THE EARTH (1997)
Chinese Traditional, MP3 @ 224

Recorded in Beijing, the first international release and a
landmark recording by world renowned Chinese erhu player Jiang
Jian Hua. A truly exceptional artist whose finesse and skill
has moved and astonished top classical conductors and
musicians.

Jiang Jian Hua was born into a musical family in 1961 in
Shanghai. Her uncle, Tang Chujen Gui, is a master player of
the erhu and from a very young age she studied under him.
At the age of 12 she entered the "Central Conservatory of Music
in China" in Beijing where she remained until she was 22,
turning from a student into a professor. When she was 14 years
old the Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa was visiting the
Conservatory for listening to classical chinese music. Despite
her age she was selected to perform for Ozawa. Ozawa, although
of Japanese parentage was born in Manchuria China, was very
touched by the music of his birthplace and the emotional
sensitivity of her playing. At the same age she also joined
that Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on their tour to Australia,
New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Another turning point in her life occurred in November 1976,
when one of the world's premier orchestras, the Berlin
Philharmonic, under Herbert Von Karajan, visited China for the
first time. After their concert she performed for the orchestra
at a party, she played one of the most difficult classical pieces
for violin, Pablo de Sarasate's Gypsy piece "Zigeunerweisen" and
at the end of the performance, the principle violinist was
completely astonished by her technical dexterity and her new
arrangement to suit the two stringed erhu. He invited her to
Berlin to learn the violin which she decided not to do, but to
continue playing the erhu.
In 1988, the Berlin Philharmonic invited her again to Berlin,
to play an erhu concerto with the full orchestra, conducted by
Seiji Ozawa. Herbert Von Karajan, was sick at that time, but was
much looking forward to hearing this very special performance.
Sadly Karajan died on the same day and the whole performance
turned into a tribute for the conductor.
Jiang Jian Hua is also the person who performed the erhu on
Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci's movie
"The Last Emperor" in 1987. Her haunting improvisation passages
were the soundtracks most memorable moments.

The performances on this album were made with the China Broadcast
Chinese National Orchestra conducted by Wu Hou Yuan and the
Youth Chinese Music Ensemble of Central Conservatory of Music in
China conducted by Wang Fu Jian. Recorded in March 1996 at
China Record, 2nd Studio in Beijing.

Jiang Jian Hua
pw:radiowaves66