{"product_id":"ge-gan-ru-string-quartets-no-1-fu-no-4-angel-suite","title":"GE, Gan-Ru: String Quartets No. 1, \"Fu\", No. 4, \"Angel Suite","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eGE GAN-RU \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eString Quartets: No. 1,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e “Fu”; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eNo. 4,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e “Angel Suite”; \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eNo. 5,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e “Fall of Baghdad” \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e ModernWorks \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e NAXOS 8.570603 (60:44) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003ePrior to this review I’d read a short profile of the composer in the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eTimes\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, and discovered for a substantial period of time he’d dropped out of sight to found a business that now supports him and allows him freedom to compose as he wishes. As such, he may be the “Chinese Charles Ives.” Whatever the reason, these three string quartets show his evolution over that time gap, with No. 1 from 1983, and Nos. 4 and 5 from 1998 and 2007, respectively. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eNo. 1, “Fu” (Prose Poem), is in a single movement, and while it uses a number of special techniques for strings, the influence of middle-period Bartók is most evident, at least to my ear. This was radical music in context for a young Chinese composer, but not necessarily for the outside world. But No. 4, “Angel Suite,” is an exceedingly rich and original piece. In a way, it \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eshouldn’t\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e be, as it references the Western classical tradition most overtly, and indeed has a strong scent of the last \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003efin de siècle.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e But though I hear Debussy very strongly throughout (above all in the first movement), its movements—including a dark waltz and similarly unsettling march—remain so full of interesting ideas and details that a strong personality cannot help but emerge. I found this music totally engaging, with a “postmodern” take that was never ironic, facile, or \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003epastichesque. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eNo. 5 is subtitled “The Fall of Baghdad.” In its reference to destruction “in time of war,” it’s an homage to George Crumb’s 1970\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003e Black Angels, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eand it opens with similarly wrenching, screeching sounds. The second movement features an extended, distant viola melody that recalls a muzzein’s call to prayer, which after an interlude of sinister rhythms using \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ecol legno\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and pizzicato, returns to the stratosphere. The third, “Desolation,” has a heartrending violin solo over pianissimo chords that suggest the classic “voice crying in the wilderness.” (No more so than when dark crunching sounds are ripped from behind the instruments’ bridges.) While the work starts out a little too reminiscent of its inspiration, like all the works on this program, Ge is in the details. It takes a little time, but a new, personal music emerges without any enormous technical or stylistic breakthrough; this is actually an enormous accomplishment. And lest I sound too technical, the music’s conclusion is shattering. We’ve got real art here. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eModernWorks is a string quartet directed by cellist Madeline Shapiro. (The other players are Airi Yoshioka and Majuki Fukuhara, violins, and Veronica Salas, viola.) They interpret this music brilliantly, and they have done great service to music by advocating this creator. I hope this recording finds a large audience, or at least the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eright\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e audience. This composer has something to say, and staying power. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Robert Carl \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49705646784792,"sku":"747313060375","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1525276.jpg?v=1777574618","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/ge-gan-ru-string-quartets-no-1-fu-no-4-angel-suite","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}