Chen Yi: The Music of Chen Yi

Chinese composer Chen Yi, too, has demonstrated a capacity for finding expressive richness in the east-west aesthetic, as amply demonstrated on The Music of Chen Yi (New Albion 090; 69:08). Yi studied music in China, although was artistically repressed during the Cultural Revolution, and has lived in the United States since 1986. She pens music of color and intensity, shying away from neither dissonant, post-serial vocabulary or folk-ish clarity. The striking performance of her pieces “Duo Ye No. 2,” “Symphony No. 2” and “GeXu (Antiphony)” is by the Women’s Philharmonic, conducted by JoAnn Falletta.

Originally Published May 1, 1997