Search - Xiangyu Chang, Wenyue Gu, Youxian Ma :: Introduction to Chinese Opera, Vol. 2

Xhi uh ung xha...XHIIIII! eelia ah oohaa!!!

Razor Queen(Witch Hunter) | 03/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ya know its a hard life when no one can understand why you want to listen to what appears to be cats on heat. "No, its Chinese opera", you cry, "its really good". Then you're just faced with looks of disbelief and confusion. They might question your sanity too. But as for me, I adore it. And I adore annoying everyone else within hearing range as well. I was introduced to Chinese opera through viewing the excellent film 'Farewell My Concubine' (right your task for today is to hunt out that dvd and buy it!). I don't think it is necessary to have purchased Chinese opera volume 1 to fully enjoy the volume presented here. The cd booklet does not contain any lyrics or translation but it does contain information concerning the opera, giving a brief storyline with each song. The operas themselves are taken from different regions of china and are fairly distinctive in style. There aren't many Dana (male) solos, which is a shame, but the exquisite female vocalization redeems that negative factor completely. These incredibly talented women (in my personal opinion) harmonize their voices with the string instruments, going up and down accordingly while maintaining perfect key. It is definitely an acquired style so I suggest listening to the samples offered above before purchasing. It sounds very strange indeed to unaccustomed ears, and at first I could only experience it in small doses. Now I play it all the time. Whether I'm cleaning, cooking or just relaxing it's a perfect compliment to my tasks and is very cheerful, except for the last song. It almost sounds like she's weeping at the beginning. So, if you're still with me after all that and have managed to experience some form of Chinese opera in the past and enjoyed it, get this cd."