An Introduction to the Chinese Opera, Vol. 1: Kun Opera; Sichuan Opera

Pleasing introduction

After my first encounter with Chinese opera (in the film "Farewell my Concubine") I naturally wished to familiarise myself better with this musical genre. This is why I immediately pounced upon this introductory CD as soon as I saw it. The excerpts are all rather interesting, although I found the latter two a bit short. Since this kind of opera may seem a bit strange and unfamilar to westerners, it seemed to me that the best way was to provide listeners with lenghty, continuous excerpts, which is exactly what the first one, from "The Peony Pavilion", is. This was later confirmed as I got hold of, and listened to, a complete version of this work.

In general, the performers on this CD are good, sometimes, however, I felt that the sound could have been clearer (whether this was due to the recording process or the singing itself I'm not certain). There is also a refreshing variety in both the performers, and the different kinds of chinese opera (Kunqu, Sichuan,etc.) from which the excerpts are taken. On the whole a good introduction which may lead to further exploration in this field. July 12, 2000

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