GUO YAZHI / Sorrow of The River

Traditional and contemporary Chinese music performed on Suona and other Chinese instruments.

MA is extremely honored and proud to present Guo YaZhi, principal suona player in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Try putting Guo YaZhi’s name into Google and see what you get! Guo is truly a phenomenon and we are all very fortunate to have such a spectacular recording on MA.

The suona, best described as a traditional Chinese oboe (with roots in Central Asia), has a sound that is shrill, powerful and very loud! In northern China it is prominently played in festivals, military affairs and wedding processions. On “Sorrow of the River” Guo YaZhi not only plays Suona, but other exotic reed instruments, in ensemble with other Chinese musicians, including his wife He Tao (also a member of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra) on Er Hu, the two stringed Chinese violin. For those with an interest in Chinese culture, this recording should prove a real gem. Perhaps the most accessible track to western ears might be the duet with He Tao on which Guo plays Soprano Saxophone ala Kenny G (!?!). Although I am not a fan of Mr. G, the track is truly beautiful, being the well known traditional “Reflection of Moon Upon Er Quan”.

For those with audiophile tendencies, “The Marriage Journey” (track one) starts with a thunderous low frequency drum that will definitely shake some windows (if one is not careful with one’s initial gain settings….)!! It is also with the audiophile in mind that “Sorrow of the River” is currently being exclusively offered on the MA site in our own “Emerald Audiophile Disc” format. The sound of this deep, dark green polycarbonate is somewhat more relaxed and less harsh than what we have experienced with normal polycarbonate CDs.

As a final note, the title track “Sorrow of the River” is one of the most famous traditional pieces in Chinese traditional music and Guo played on the instrument for which it was originally intended.

01. 出嫁 The Marriage Journey
02. 江河水 Sorrow of the River
03. 百鳥朝鳳 Birds Pay Tribute to the Phoenix
04. 家鄉情 Love for My Homeland
05. 陽關三疊 Three Variations on Yang Guan
06. 啦瓜 Chit Chat
07. 二泉映月 Reflection of Moon upon Er Quan
08. 雙聲恨 Lovers Lingering
09. 中國民風 Chinese Folk Melodies
10. 頹敗線的顫動 Vibration of the Corrupted Line
11. 解放 Liberation
12. 楓橋夜泊 Sailing at Night