Jin Yin
A Spectrum of Contemporary Chinese Composers
YUAN-QING YU + KENNETH OLSEN + WINSTON CHOI
With Jin Yin, we present a spectrum of new instrumental works by living Chinese composers, each with a unique perspective on Western and Far Eastern musical sensibilities. The Civitas Ensemble named their album for the Chinese phrase meaning “Golden Tone” because they treasure these works for their clarity of musical expression.
– Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review
Performers
Yuan-Qing Yu – Violin
J. Lawrie Bloom – Clarinet
Kenneth Olsen – Cello
Winston Choi – Piano
Album Details
James Ginsburg – Producer
Bark Design – Graphic Design
Bill Maylone – Engineer
Lampo Leong Studio – Cover Art
Ken Orgel – Steinway Piano Technician
About the Program
Jin Yin (“Golden Tone”) comprises world-premiere recordings of works by Yao Chen, Vivian Fung, and Lu Pei, plus specially made new arrangements of pieces from Zhou Long and Chen Yi.First recordings include Yao Chen’s mystical, rhapsodic Emanations of Tara, named for a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism and written expressly for the Civitas Ensemble; Vivian Fung’s Birdsong, a virtuosic piece for violin and piano that opens and closes with evocations of bird calls; and Lu Pei’s alternatively vigorous and lyrical Scenes Through Window, imbued with both American minimalist rhythms and South China folk traditions.
Leading off the program, Zhou Long’s engaging Five Elements evokes metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, while Chen Yi’s serene, ethereal Night Thoughts was inspired by a Tang Dynasty poem. Both receive their first recordings in the composers’ own arrangements made specifically for the Civitas Ensemble.