Wu Man & Wu Wei - Distant Mountains [CD]

On this current recording you can hear a wonderful example of a magical first encounter; Wu Man and Wu Wei, both exceptional Chinese musicians, had never performed together. They are two superstar soloists of Chinese music. Over the years they have kicked the windows and doors of their music wide open, have assimilated diverse influences and have taken their instruments and musical traditions all over the world. Wu Man performs on the pipa and Wu Wei on the sheng. The pipa is is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute“, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 31. The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is a polyphonic instrument and enjoys an increasing popularity as a solo instrument. It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE. These two virtuosic musicians bring openness and the simply phenomenal mastery of their playing which has brought Chinese music to millions of listeners. This disc shows us not just the brilliance of their musicianship, but the beauty of Chinese music. Wu Man’s elegant precision of attack meets Wu Wei’s Sheng, which at times has an almost transparent delicacy, and at others can pulse as forcefully as a power house. This recording shows the absolute fun they have both playing their instruments together but also (and more importantly), showing audiences how exciting this music can be.