Ballad of East and West

May 23, 2022, 7:00 pm

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Borrowing this week’s title from the Rudyard Kipling poem, “The Ballad of East and West” will explore the music of Asia. Traveling to China, Japan, and Indonesia, we will listen to instruments, sounds, folk tunes and poetry. Some that are the unique musical voices that define a country’s identity, some that are shared in common and many that are borrowed by western composers.

Playlist

Episode 1

Lüting, He: Senjidema
Shanghai Music Institute
Selected Works of He Lüting: Instrumental Solo, Duetto and Chorus
Chinese Musician Audio and Video Publishing House
0:17

Dun, Tan: Silk Road
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra/ Tan Dun, violin cello, Yo-Yo Ma, violin cello
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Sony 760859
0:36

Jiping, Zhao & Zhao Lin: “Distant Green Valley”
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon
Sony 756283
1:55

Xinghai, Xian: The Yellow River Cantata
I. “Song of The Yellow River Boatmen”
IV. Dialogue Song “By the Yellow River”
Shanghai Philharmonic Chorus & Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra/ Ding Cao, conductor
Xian: The Yellow River Cantata / Chu: The Yellow River Piano Concerto
Chandos MP 3982
7:46

Xinghai, Xian: Yellow River Piano Concerto
“The Yellow River in Wrath”

Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China /Long Yu, Lang Lang, piano
Xian: The Yellow River Cantata / Chu: The Yellow River Piano Concerto
Chandos MP 3982
7:20

Lu, Wencheng: “The Cow Herds Flute”
Lang Lang
Dragon Songs
DG 80008233
0:17

Lüting, He: “Looking at the Milky Way from Mount Shaolin”
Shanghai Music Institute
Selected Works of He Lüting: Instrumental Solo, Duetto and Chorus
Chinese Musician Audio and Video Publishing House
4:04

Lüting, He: “Clear Water”
Shanghai Music Institute
Selected Works of He Lüting: Instrumental Solo, Duetto and Chorus
Chinese Musician Audio and Video Publishing House
1:58

Sheng, Bright:  Shanghai Overture
San Diego Symphony Orchestra/Jahja Ling, conductor
Never Far Away
Telarc 80719
8:41

Sheng, Bright: Tibetan Dance:
I. Prelude

Bright Sheng, piano; Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Erin Svoboda, clarinet
Sheng: Spring Dreams, Tibetan Dance, 3 Fantasies
Naxos 8570601
4:12

Sheng, Bright: Three Chinese Love Songs:
l. “Blue Flower”
ll. “At the Hillside Where Horses are Running”
lll. “The Stream Flows”
Bright Sheng, piano; Lisa Saffer, soprano; Paul Neubauer, viola
Sheng: Spring Dreams, Tibetan Dance, 3 Fantasies
Naxos 8570601
6:45

Sheng, Bright: Three Chinese Love Songs:
ll. “At the Hillside Where Horses are Running” (excerpt)
Bright Sheng, piano; Lisa Saffer, soprano; Paul Neubauer, viola
Sheng: Spring Dreams, Tibetan Dance, 3 Fantasies
Naxos 8570601
:15

Lu, Wencheng: “Autumn Moon On a Calm Lake”
Lang Lang, piano
Dragon Songs
DG 80008233
3:30

Episode 2

Dun, Tan: Orchestral Theatre for Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/Tan Dun, conductor
Symphonic Poem on Three Notes; Orchestral Theatre; Concerto for Orchestra
Naxos 8.570608
2:54

Dun, Tan: Orchestral Theatre for Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/Tan Dun, conductor
Symphonic Poem on Three Notes; Orchestral Theatre; Concerto for Orchestra
Naxos 8.570608
0:34

Dun, Tan: Orchestral Theatre for Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/Tan Dun, conductor
Symphonic Poem on Three Notes; Orchestral Theatre; Concerto for Orchestra
Naxos 8.570608
:17

Dun, Tan: Symphonic Poem on Three Notes for Orchestra

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/Tan Dun, conductor
Symphonic Poem on Three Notes; Orchestral Theatre; Concerto for Orchestra
Naxos 8.570608
12:03

Dun, Tan: Crouching Tiger
l. “Hidden Dragon”
ll. “Through the Bamboo Forest”
lll. “Desert Capriccio”

Shanghai National Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra/ Chan Xie Yang;
Yo-Yo Ma, violin cello
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Sony 760859
12:18

Dun, Tan: Concerto For Orchestra
lV. “The Forbidden City”

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/Tan Dun, conductor/composer
Symphonic Poem on Three Notes; Orchestral Theatre; Concerto for Orchestra
Naxos 8.570608
6:53

Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon
l. “Summer in the High Grassland”
“Gallop of a Thousand Horses”
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Silk Road Journeys: Beyond The Horizon
Sony 756283
9:36

Wilder, Alec: It’s Silk, Feel It! (Mitch Miller, English horn)
The Alec Wilder Octet
The Music of Alec Wilder Conducted by Frank Sinatra
Odyssey 32 16 0262
3:59

Dun, Tan: Crouching Tiger
ll. “Through the Bamboo Forest” (excerpt)

Shanghai National Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra/ Chan Xie Yang;
Yo-Yo Ma, violin cello
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Sony 760859
12:18

Episode 3

Traditional: Parlez Moi d’Amour
Lucienne Boyer, soprano
Parlez-Moi D’Amour
Nostalgia Naxos 8.120558
3:08

Takemitsu, Toru: Coral Island, III. “Accumulation”
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra/ Yuzo Toyama, conductor
Coral Island
Denon 18073
2:25

Takemitsu, Toru: Visions l. Mystere 
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim, conductor
Carter: Partita; Berio: Continuo; Takemitsu
Teldec 99596
13:18

Takemitsu, Toru: Visions l. Les yeux clos (excerpt)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Barenboim, conductor
Carter: Partita; Berio: Continuo; Takemitsu
Teldec 99596
0:54

Takemitsu, Toru: Toward the Sea for Flute and Marimba I. “The Night”
Ransom Wilson, flute Robert van Sice, marimba
Japanese Music for marimba
Etcetera KTC 1143
2:54

Takemitsu, Toru: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
DG 4775381
12:55

Takemitsu, Toru: Ran; IIl. IV. (Music for Kurosawa’s film)
Sapporo Symphony Orchestra/Tadaaki Otaka, conductor
Takemitsu – hosokawa – A Otaka
Chandos 9876
8:13

Takemitsu, Toru: Rain Tree Sketch 2 (for Messiaen ‘Celestially Light’)
Peter Serkin, piano
The Ocean Has No East and No West
Koch 7450
4:25

Episode 4

Traditional: Ketjak Dance
Bali Gamelan: David Lewiston, producer
Music from the Morning of the World
Explorers Series Nonesuch Records David Lewiston, producer
1:50

Gong  Kebyar, Gamelan: “Baris/Gambang Betjak”
Bali Gamelan: David Lewiston, producer
Music from the Morning of the World
Explorers Series Nonesuch Records David Lewiston, producer
2:44

Gambuh, Sekehe: “Sekar Leret” (frog song)
Bali Gamelan: David Lewiston, producer
Music from the Morning of the World
Explorers Series Nonesuch Records David Lewiston, producer
1:08

Angklung, Gamelan: “Margepati”
Bali Gamelan: David Lewiston, producer
Music from the Morning of the World
Explorers Series Nonesuch Records David Lewiston, producer
1:09

Debussy, Claude: Images, Livre II I. “Cloches à Travers Les Feuilles”
Georges Pludermacher, piano
Images 1 & 2; Images Oubliées; Estampes
Harmonia Mundi France 901503
4:31

Debussy, Claude: Images, Livre II I. “Cloches à Travers Les Feuilles” (excerpt)
Georges Pludermacher, piano
Images 1 & 2; Images Oubliées; Estampes
Harmonia Mundi France 901503
00:50

Ravel, Maurice: Piano Trio in A Minor II. Pantoum  
Beaux Arts Trio
Piano Trios – Klaviertrios
Phil 411141
4:19

Debussy, Claude: Poemes de Baudelaire, No. 2: Harmonie du Soir
BBC Symphony Orchestra/ Yan Pascal Tortelier Susan Graham, soprano
Poèmes De L’amour
Warner 2005
3:58

McPhee, Colin: “Tabuh-Tabuhan,” Toccata for Orchestra and 2 Pianos, Ostinato
American Composers Orchestra/ Dennis Russell Davies Peter Basquin, Christopher Oldfather, pianos
Tabuh-Tabuhan / Inner Voices / Suite for Symphonic Strings
Argo 444560
7:30

Harrison, Lou: “Main Bersama-Sama” “Concerto in Slendro” III. Allegro
R. Hughes, M. Kobialka, D.Kobialka, Marconi, Barbagallo and Neff
New World
New World Records 80643
9:40

Hindemith, Paul: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber
2. Turandot, Scherzo

Philadelphia Orchestra/ Ormandy, conductor
Paul Hindemith Plays and Conducts Paul Hindemith EMI Classics
EMI 47615
7:54

Episode 5

Puccini, Giacomo: La Bohème – Act 3, “Ohè, La, Le Guardie…Aprite!” (excerpt)
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Beecham, Victoria De Los Ángeles, Jussi Björling
La Boheme
Warner Classics 67753
2:19

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 1: (excerpt)
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
00:20

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 1: “… E soffitto e pareti;
“Sorride Vostro Onore?” “Dovunque al mondo”;
“America For Ever”; “Ier l’altro il Consolato”
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan, Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
11:54

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 1: “Gran ventura”
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan, c. Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
3:51

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 2: “Un bel dì vedremo”
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan, c. Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
4:41

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 2: “Che Tua Madre Dovrà Prenderti In Braccio”
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan, c. Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
5:17

Puccini, Giacomo: Madama Butterfly Act 2: “Con onor muore chi non può serbar vita con onore”
Wiener Philharmoniker/ Herbert von Karajan, c. Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti
Madama Butterfly
London/ Decca 478 7819
2:40

Mahler, Gustav: Das Lied von der Erde; II. Der Einsame im Herbst
New Philharmonia/ Otto Klemperer, conductor Christa Ludwig, mezzo soprano
Symphonies 2, 4, 7 & 9, Das Lied von der Erde
EMI 483982
10:10

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado “On a Tree by a River a Little Tom-Tit” (excerpt)

The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company/ Peter Pratt
The Mikado
Sony 58889
3:08