East Meets West
Jun Qian (clarinet), Kent McWilliams (piano), Sara Baumbauer (clarinet), Francesca Anderegg (violin), David Carter (cello)
The intersection of Chinese cultural elements with Western art music provides a rich palette of Eastern colors in this first commercial recording of music for clarinet and piano by well-known Chinese composers. The composers on this recording were born in China, but have all studied and worked in the West. Chinese-American clarinetist, Jun Qian, has shared similar experiences with these composers and his performances show a deep understanding of Chinese culture and Western musical ideas. Dr. Qian, now on the faculty at Baylor University is principal clarinet for the Waco Symphony Orchestra. He was a professor of clarinet at St. Olaf College and served as principal clarinet of the Shanghai Philharmonic. Among his many honors, Qian was the featured soloist at the International Performing Arts Festival in Japan in 2004. Qian studied at Baylor University and the Eastman School, where he received his Masters and D.M.A. He is joined on this recording by a former colleague from St. Olaf College, pianist Kent McWilliams who previously taught at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Suite Antigua | Mei-Chun Chen | Jun Qian, clarinet, Kent McWilliams, piano |
| A Tune from Childhood | Bright Sheng | Jun Qian, clarinet |
| Little Cabbage | Bright Sheng | Jun Qian, clarinet, Sara Baumbauer, clarinet |
| Nostalgia | Gao Hong | Jun Qian, clarinet, Gao Hong, pipa, David Carter, cello, Kent McWilliams, piano |
| Chinese Ancient Dances | Chen Yi | Jun Qian, clarinet, Kent McWilliams, piano |
| Monologue: Impressions on The True Story of Ah Q | Chen Yi | Jun Qian, clarinet |
| Fantasia on the Theme of Plum Blossom | Shih-Hui Chen | Jun Qian, clarinet, Kent McWilliams, piano |
| The Beam of Light | Ming-Hsiu Yen | Jun Qian, clarinet |
| Lego City | Ming-Hsiu Yen | Jun Qian, clarinet, Francesca Anderegg, violin, David Carter, cello, Kent McWilliams, piano |
Reviews
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"Jun Qian is a flexible, communicative musician who can evoke a variety of moods with his clarinet. Pianist Kent McWilliams excels both in the songful and the spiky as-pects of this program. This release shows that we have come far enough in our musi-cal development that no special pleading is necessary for Chinese composers "
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