Grand Music of Tang
(guitar, 24 pieces), 2000 [~78’00”]

This suite for solo guitar was commissioned by the Japanese classical guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita. Ten of the 24 pieces were world-premiered by Mr. Yamashita in Tokyo, Japan on February 4, 2000. The ten pieces were Deer Enclosure, Welcome Rain in a Spring Night, Drinking Alone with the Moon, Grass, Deeply Moved by Music, Lady Playing Zither, Li Ping Playing the Harp, Poem Without Title, Jade Zither Sorrow, and Viewing the Moon, Thinking of You. Click here for these poems and their English translation.

"One movement is better than another, and there are real pearls among them." commeded in 2020 by Vladimir Mikulka, Czech guitar virtuoso living in Paris.

Program notes

This guitar-solo suite consists of 24 pieces, each of which was inspired by a specific poem from the Tang Dynasty of China (618–907 AD). These poems can be grouped into four categories :

Nature:
  1. Deer Enclosure
  2. Bamboo Lodge
  3. Through Yanzi Gorges
  4. Autumn Night
  5. Docking Overnight by Maple Bridge
  6. Mooring on Jiangde River
  7. Welcome Rain in a Spring Night
Wine, Friendship:
  1. Drinking Alone with the Moon
  2. Bring in the Wine
  3. Liang State Verse
  4. Wei City Song
  5. Grass
Music :
  1. Lady Playing Zither
  2. Playing the Guqin
  3. Deeply Moved by Music
  4. Monk Jun Playing the Lute
  5. Li Ping Playing the Harp
  6. Somber Flute
Mood :
  1. Yearning
  2. The Adorned Zither
  3. Lady Yang
  4. Jade Zither Sorrow
  5. Viewing the Moon, Thinking of You
  6. Poem Without Title