Review  – American Record Guide – November/December 2008        by R. Moore

If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, here is a novelty. And it’s more than just a novelty; it’s an effort to bridge the musical expressions of east and west. The title “Chinese Lieder” refers to some of the most beloved Chinese poetry of the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279 AD) and some of the most popular Chinese folk tunes arranged in styles familiar to western ears. We are not told who arranged these songs or when, but they display a curious range of styles, one sounding like a Neapolitan song, another vaguely like Puccini, and still others sounding like Chabrier, Stephen Foster, and even Gershwin with shades of Asian tonality. By western musical standards these sweet and gentle songs may sound simplistic, but they are pleasant and occasionally rather inventive.    

Jingma Fan, winner of the third Cardiff Singer of the World competition, reports that he studied with Carlo Bergonzi to refine his bel canto technique and later studied with Franco Corelli. He has a robust yet agile voice, but his edgy, rapid vibrato is distracting. Not knowing Chinese languages, my untrained observation is that the elocution of certain sounds is muted or muffled in a way that seem to be produced by closing the throat and mouth. Such vocal production does not lend itself readily to western musical expression, and that will be evident right away as you listen.

Fan has supplied translations of the texts, and he repeats four of the songs in English as the final four tracks. He reports that some of these songs are required singing for participants in the biennial international vocal competition in Beijing.

Dutch pianist Reinild Mees is his capable accompanist in music that seldom rises above the unchallenging. The SACD sound is outstanding, aided by the fine acoustics of Eindhoven’s Frist Philips concert hall. This release fulfills a personal ambition of the singer to present the music of his country to the west. If you want to expand your cultural horizon, this is a good chance to do so.