Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
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Classical piano playing has become hugely popular in China in recent years, its cultural popularity contributing to the rise of many impressive concert artists. Chinese pianists are becoming ever more prominent in music schools, international competitions, and concert halls worldwide.
It’s no surprise that the music of Chinese composers is also getting more attention. Riding this wave, Henle’s newly released Chinese Piano Music: Works of the 20th Century brings us superb scores of ten of the most pivotal works to emerge between 1947 and 1979, music that was formative in the development of a popular national style.
Curated by concert pianist Jingxian (Jane) Xie, this compilation includes music suitable for late intermediate to diploma level players, showpieces that combine a beautiful understanding of pianism with the captivating flavour of traditional Chinese music and culture. Many are already appearing as encores in the world’s most distinguished concert halls; all are likely to do so in the coming years.
While these composer names and piece titles may be new to many, it is clearly time to discover them, and the familiar Henle Urtext house style brings its own assurance that this is music which should not be ignored…
A Brief History
As one of the outstanding Chinese pianists of her generation, and winner of international piano competitions in Germany, Spain and the USA, Jingxian Xie has performed around the world. She is also a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, with special insight into contemporary Chinese piano education.
In her helpful Introduction to the new Henle volume, she tells us,
”Chinese piano music has a relatively recent history, its origins traceable to the beginning of the 20th century…”
That is actually longer than some may have realised.
Xie goes on to give a historic overview of the 20th century development of Chinese piano music, followed by more in-depth notes about the ten pieces she has selected, edited and fingered for this edition, all of which regularly feature in her performing and teaching career.
Xie explains the early influence of Western music, and how the three year residency of Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin from 1934-37 marked a turning point in which composers were encouraged to bring a more distinctive flavour to their writing, drawing on China’s rich cultural heritage.
We are told that after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, there was an impetus to go further in establishing a distinctive national style, emphasising patriotism, regional cultures and pride, incorporating folk melody, and evoking themes of everyday community life.
Lastly, she tells us that China’s reform and new policy of opening up after 1976 enabled composers to undertake bold innovations, expanding their use of modern compositional techniques.
The pieces which Xie has selected for this publication broadly come from the mid period of these developments:
“The present volume contains a chronological selection from this rich output: ten key works (composed between 1946 and 1979) are published under license from the catalogue of the People’s Music Publishing House of Beijing. These ten Chinese piano works have had a wide influence on the history of Chinese piano composition, possess both academic value and popularity, and are widely performed. They are also frequently used in piano teaching.”
Ten Remarkable Works
Henle’s edition appers in the publisher’s beloved house style, with its classic dusty blue covers, luxury cream paper within, superb music font and binding. The book has 88 pages, including the initial thematic index and Xie’s erudite six-page introduction, which appears both in German and English.
Unusually, the book doesn’t mention the Henle app digital version, but I understand this is also available.
When it comes to recordings, I quickly found versions of all ten works on YouTube, albeit of mixed provenance, but for a well-programmed introduction to the broader Chinese piano repertoire, I recommend the following commercial releases as a superb starting point:
- Jie Chen: Chinese Piano Favourites
- Joel Schoenhals: Chinese Piano Music
- Roger Lord: Chinese Treasures
- Yundi: Red Piano
- Yiming Zhang: Wang Lisan complete piano music
Listening to these recordings it is clear that Xie was spoilt for choice when selecting the pieces for this edition; some recurring favourites are omitted.
However, hers is unquestionably a judicious and representative selection:
- Qu Wei (1917-2002): Flower Drum
- Chen Peixun (1921-2006): Thunder During a Drought
- Wang Lisan (1933-2013): Sonatina
- Huang Huwei (1932-2019): Pictures from Bashu
- Sun Yiqiang (b.1942): Threshing Dance
- Chu Wanghua (b.1941):
The Moon Reflected in the Erquan Spring
Wang Jianzhong (1933-2016): - A Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix
- Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon
- Li Yinghai (1927-2007): Adieux at Yangguan
- Wang Lisan: The Sound of the Waves
Beyond the folksong and pentatonic elements, many of these pieces imitate the instruments of Chinese traditional music, and all have an easily identifiable national character while clearly belonging to the mainstream classical piano repertoire.
Many will chose Wang Lisan’s brilliant Sonatina as an accessible and natural starting point. The three movements are labelled Under the Sunshine, After Another Rainfall and Dance of the Mountain People. The first two would be approachable at around UK Grade 5, while the finale is a little more difficult.
Equally beautiful, if not more so, Huang Huwei’s Pictures from Bashu is a collection of six miniatures (also Late Intermediate) that combine the Chinese aesthetic with a hint of Bartók’s more approachable piano music. These are incredibly atmospheric pieces, and I have entirely fallen for them!
Players at the early advanced stage, around UK Grade 6-7, are likely to enjoy practising Qu Wei’s Flower Drum, and Sun Yiquiang’s Threshing Dance, both evocative of the customs and agrarian lifestyle of provincial and rural China.
Familiar to some from the current ABRSM Grade 8 list, Thunder During a Drought by Chen Peixun also makes an appearance here, although the same composer’s hugely popular Autumn Moon on the Calm Lake is one of the most notable omissions from the collection.
More impressionistic in flavour, and moving towards the more difficult pieces, Chu Wanghua’s Moon Reflected in the Erquan Spring is a deeply affecting piece, while Wang Jianzhong’s two pieces are both extraordinary showcases that will dazzle as recital openers or encores.
The final two pieces in this anthology are Li Yinghai’s beautiful Adieux at Yangguan, inspired by a classic Tang Dynasty poem, and Wang Lisan’s The Sound of the Waves. These are the most modernist of the pieces included, dating from that period in the late 1970’s when the Chinese nation began to look outward, embracing new musical directions. These are the most difficult pieces to play, as well.
Closing Thoughts
Jingxian Xie’s anthology of twentieth century Chinese piano music is unlike any other publication I have seen, and must be welcomed as a genuine milestone.
There is certainly no doubting the quality of any of these pieces. Simply put, these are extraordinary works, and of the highest rank. We must hope to soon have an opportunity to discover in print more music by the eight composers featured here, as well as post-1980 additions to the Chinese piano repertoire.
These pieces will undoubtedly continue to grow in popularity the West. Teachers and pianists must surely avail themselves of this fabulous opportunity to discover an important seam of repertoire, and can now do so with confidence, joy and high expectations.
Congratulations certainly go to Jingxian Xie for her extraordinary achievement in compiling, editing and presenting this collection.
Kudos also to Henle Verlag, whose foresight in bringing this music to market shows fresh ambition from a company that rarely publishes music by living composers. By winning the race to secure digital and print licenses for these works for the European market, they have undoubtedly scored something of a publishing coup.
In short, there would be no fitting or fair conclusion to this review other than to hail this collection as one of extreme cultural significance, and which may well prove to be one of the most important piano music publications of the decade.
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