Thursday, December 18, 2008

CD Review: China's Wu Man [2 CD]

Wu Man
Wu Man [2 CD]
Nimbus

Wu Man is a popular pipa player from China. This exciting 2-CD set of traditional pipa music is a must-have for lute lovers and folk music collectors. The first CD features Wu Man's skilled pipa mastery on 7 tracks running a total length of 71 minutes. There are no vocals on both CD's. The second CD runs over 63 minutes in length and includes 9 tracks. While Wu's pipa is mostly unaccompanied on the first CD, she is joined by an ensemble on the second CD. The ensemble consists of erhu, gaohu, zheng, dizi, xiao, and suona. This adds some color to the musical repertoire, as well as textural tones that brighten the compositions. A 16-page booklet details the music of the pipa, as well as notes on the songs and performers. A pleasant listening experience for sure. ~ Matthew Forss

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