Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky,

Rushing into the sea and ne'er come back?

Such is a question that transcend time and space.

In exile for nineteen years, drastically more trying and lengthy than anyone would have expected and never give up faith in light of odds and trials.

Such is the eternal epitome of faith and endurance demonstrated by Su Wu.

To drown his sorrows, Li Bai indulged himself in heavy drinking. Wine, however, was a blessing to him, rather than a bane, as it provided him with inspiration for poetry. In those moments of exhilaration, when alone or in company, he would dash off verses which flow freely without restraint.

Such is the aura of romanticism that Li Bai left to us.

When the Juchen overran northern China and captured the Song-dynasty capital at Kaifeng, there emerged a hero called Yue Fei. Yet when Yue accompanied the future emperor Gaozong into the south, prevented the advance of the Juchen with the only hope to push north and recapture all of the lost territory, he was opposed by the minister Qin Hui, who had Yue executed.

Such is one of the greatest generals and patriotic heroes in history. After a thousand years, General Yue is still extolled for his loyalty and patriotism..

And there are more. Somebody somewhere sometime, in the remoteness of memory were thousands of such stories, which inspired the birth of numerous drama, poetry, and songs throughout the history of China. The best of them are collected the album in which you will experience the fishman’s evening, the peaceful village life, the Corydon piccolo and the running rivers. Altogether, they compose a face of China.

The musical form here is called Ling Ge, Chinese orchestral lieder with inspirations from Chinese folk songs. The most original way of musical expression. Associated with each section of the piece are a number of poetic lines that are assisting the performer and listener to visualize the plum imagery in its natural setting. All the ten pieces are composed and rearranged from the classical tunes in traditional Chinese music and opera. The virtuoso Xiqu composer Meng Qinghua dedicated himself into the production. With his original arrangement like Invitation to Wine, we will have a unique musical journey. For example,

In Invitation to Wine, the traditional pronunciation in Beijing Opera is slightly changed to integrate the aesthetic approach of both the past and present to present the feelings and emotions that never change.

In Notturno in the Fisherboat, the role of fisherman is innovatively played by a lady actor.

In The Whole River Red, the big Chinese drums and Western counterparts together construct the timbre of the original lines.

In Rolling River, the combine of cello and Dongxiao set a solid background for the solo part.

In Three Variations on Plum Blossom, pizz strings one by a dozen of western string instrument form a fantastic contrast to the Chinese Qin. And,

In other pieces, we will also be impressed by the delicate arrangement and performance.

The performers for the album see no equivalent in their respective fields, such as Zhang Qiang, Dai Ya, Zhao Jiazhen and Changjing. A dozen of other artists are from the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra, the most outstanding professional orchestras in China.

In this album we are also lucky to have the two virtuosos in Beijing Opera - Guan Dongtian and Yu Kuizhi and other leading figures like Meng Guanglu, Liu Guijuan, Feng Xinrui and Taoyang.

As all the Rhymoi albums, we are dedicating ourselves into the two-year production. The recording is done by LI Xiaopei at the 480 square Meter Recording Studio of CCTV. The post production and master piece was done by JVC-XRCD Master Center (Japan) and The Mastering Lab.Inc.(U.S.).  Here you will find everything you could imagine about the paramount quality.

Ling Ge, representing the unique beauty of Chinese art best live up to the title of the album – The Song of Songs. The poetic and musical expressions of the abundant affection have resulted in the far-reaching influences upon our heart. Let’s start the journey to feel China at this moment.