It is a rare treat for people like us to hear music and sounds from all walks of the earth today. Liu Fang, one of the most loved Chinese classical musicians, ironically shares the same name as a former Chinese empress. She grew up in China but chose to relocate to Montreal, Canada after studying Chinese Music and learning various instruments, namely the Pipa but also the Guzheng at the Shanghai Conservatory Of Music. Well regarded and renowned as a world-class instrumentalist, this is her most listened to release in her many decades-long career. Let’s take a listen to this album release and we shall hear if it is any good.

Lotus Emerging On The Surface Of The Water is the opening track, beginning with some sweet and amazingly beautiful Guzheng playing. Indeed, no time was wasted on the creation of such music. Liu Fang creates some of the most lively, lovely and beautiful Chinese Classical Music that you will ever hear. A great, great and soothing listening experience throughout. Indeed, this only goes on for just a few minutes but it sounds absolutely beautifully magical throughout. Liu Fang is a great Chinese Classical Musician who puts her all into this form of music throughout. A very magical and loveable listen, this is by far one of the best Chinese instrumental performances that you will ever hear. A very lovely piece of music, it concludes gradually after three minutes. A very good listen.

Three Variations Of Plum Blossom begins with some rather dark and eerie playing before this tune quickly launches into action with gorgeous Guzheng. This gradually enters into a slow and soothing listening experience that should be heard by more out there. This sounds slow but interesting and magical throughout. The music at hand is really beautiful, traditional and sweet. Liu Fang puts in a special and excellently played performance throughout. Her music is breathtakingly wonderful, and the listener is rewarded as a result. A great piece of music to listen to, without a doubt or question. Liu Fang’s playing sounds much like a harp in Western Classical Music, although it is far from that. In any case, it is a simply gorgeous and sweet slice of melodic excellence for one’s ears. This does sound pretty and great. Towards the end of this tune, it becomes more rhythmic and uptempo with the Guzheng playing, which sounds truly amazing and magical. A really lovely listen, and something unforgettable over time to hear. A great performance by Liu Fang, no debate is needed on this track. It ends after five minutes in length, very sweet.

A Red Point is a short two-minute-long piece. It has some absolutely beautiful Chinese instrumentation, including Pipa and Guzheng that will blow your mind away. A really fresh, pretty and awesomely brilliant piece of music, this is the best of Chinese Music in a traditional sense that can grab your attention out there. Nonetheless, for two minutes, this is a great sample of some of the best sounds that you will hear in a musical sense. The melodies evoke emotions and thoughts about China itself. A great listen.

High Mountain and Flowing Water begins with some chiming Guzheng parts and sounds sweet and lovely. This is yet more loveable and magical music from the ancient land of China and so wonderfully done by Liu Fang. This piece sounds extremely beautiful, interesting and gorgeous throughout. Understandably, not everyone will enjoy Chinese Classical Music, but the ones who do will really love this music and the sounds abound throughout. If music were the equivalent of painting a fine picture, this would no doubt go for a huge price. Regardless, the music present here is immaculate and brilliantly performed. This legitimately does sound really great. It is a soft and soothing performance on the Guzheng that will take your mind elsewhere. Indeed, China is a new global power today and Chinese Music and culture are never to be underestimated. Regardless, an absolute winner of a tune. This does really sound great throughout, from start to finish. The magical beauty of this music needs to be heard. A really fantastically great and dynamic piece of musicianship that Liu Fang deserves much credit and praise for. This wraps up after over five minutes in length but sounds really sweet. Awesome tune.

Seagulls Playing In Water is an iconic title for such an instrumental piece. It begins with some gorgeous opening playing on the Guzheng, launching into a very downtempo yet super sweet listening experience at hand. This does sound really iconic and lovely listening throughout. A great piece of instrumental music to listen to The artistry and beauty of this Chinese Music is not to be underestimated. Sweet and gorgeous, like the image of the sun setting on the sea, there is no doubt that Liu Fang could make some truly amazing music on her own. An interesting and wonderful listening experience of traditional Chinese Music, there has never been a better time to launch oneself into the world of music from China. A truly awesome and enjoyable listen from the heart, this is a really good winner of a listen. With flowing and precise playing and descriptive musical beauty, Liu Fang does a better job than most with her music. Nonetheless, a superb effort musically. A very pretty and sweet listen, although this is fairly lengthy to listen to, being six minutes long. Still, a great tune to listen to. It ends with some great playing and quirky melodies to match.

The Autumn Moon In The Palace Of A Han Emperor is a sweet and gorgeous tune, more so than the others from this album, from the beginning here. It has some of the most magical Guzheng playing you will ever hear, and the music will no doubt take you places you musically don’t usually go to. The music and playing throughout are intensely beautiful and very suspenseful. An inspired and inspirational listening experience, this is the better side of Chinese musical culture out there, not the typical C-Pop or anything along the lines of that. The music from start to finish is simple Guzheng playing but is extremely pretty to listen to. In any case, this is a deeply interesting and emotional listening experience throughout. The Guzheng playing does slow down in the second half, but this still retains its picturesque and magical beauty here. Still, if you love the Far East, then this music will be right up your alley. Admittedly, this is going to come across as ordinary to some, but the music present is a unique and beautiful listen that should blow away such comments as that. This eventually ends after over six minutes in length.

Freedom Flowers is a two-and-a-half-minute-long piece with some cheery and bright-sounding melodic Guzheng playing throughout. It does sound really excellent and great musically and melodically. The crisp sounds and playing are absolutely gorgeous and wonderful throughout. Indeed, Liu Fang succeeds where most musicians do not. She makes some stunning material and sounds for us all to listen to. This is a short, two-minute-long piece that sounds really amazing and terrific throughout. A really great piece of music to hear, and a joy to listen to from start to finish.

Pink Lotus begins with some sweet and eastern-sounding playing throughout, which sounds really excellent. This is a timeless and unusual-sounding tune that has some deep and soulful playing in it. A great listening experience nonetheless, this does sound super cool and interesting throughout for a solo instrumental piece. The mood present and listening style is completely Eastern, and the whole piece sounds warped and unusual emotionally. A very cool listening experience for all its eerieness. This does require some time and patience to get through but is definitely worth it if you can lend an ear to the music within this album. Even if this is not your favourite sort of music, one can appreciate this listening experience. It changes tempo and feel in the second half of the song, and is really awesome sounding throughout. A cool, cool tune. There is some super precise and quirky-sounding Guzheng throughout that merits a listen. A very smooth listen, just like the best Chinese tea one can drink upon waking in the morning. A very, very cool tune overall, it gradually winds up slowly and falls apart at the end with a rather dramatic finish. Nice.

Song Of Fisherman On A Home-Bound Boat During Sunset is a shorter piece at just under four minutes long. It sounds memorable and beautiful from the start, just being another mind-blowing piece of music to listen to, given its context. All in all, this sounds really sweet and lovely as a piece of music. Great to hear nonetheless. The playing and sounds are 100% Chinese, accurate and melodically beautiful on this album. This does sound really great, all in all. Pointing out a form of music on this album is very magical and is rarely given credit for. The musicianship of Liu Fang is never to be underestimated, and she delivers an amazing and impressive listening experience. A very gentle and sweet musical moment, this does sound very nicely played and interesting throughout. In the second half, the tempo and playing build up into a frenzy and sounds absolutely marvellous. A very interesting and turbo-charged energy rush concludes this awesome piece of music. This begins to wrap up just before the four-minute mark and is totally worth hearing. Great.

Chanting Of A Tiema begins with some dark-sounding playing on the Guzheng, which is different. It sounds very sweet and lovely throughout and is a bit different overall. A very slow and suspenseful piece of music is present here, and this sounds mournful throughout. This is not exactly the sort of upbeat and fun-sounding Pop Music that you would likely hear on the radio today. Instead, this is serious intellectual music for those of you who crave something Eastern and totally different out there. It does sound really sweet and superb regardless and is a very magical piece of music all the same. This is great music by Liu Fang to close your eyes and listen along to. It is deep and emotional listening for sure. The playing and string-based harmonics here are quite fantastically good to listen to. Nonetheless, a really magical and lovely piece of music to listen to. This is something that is quite out of this world, technically speaking. Exactly the sort of music one needs to hear after a stressful life experience, this still sounds as impressive and good to hear today as it did upon release. That says a lot. A really sweet tune to hear and it is never dull nor boring throughout its nearly six-minute long running time musically.

Embroidering Of The Golden Tapestry is a shorter sub-three minute long piece of music. It begins slowly, with some sweet and magical plucking of the Guzheng throughout. This sounds a little lighter, but more melancholy than the previous piece musically. Regardless, this is another very good listening experience to hear and to enjoy. The music takes a sad and mournful turn towards the end of the album. A very mellow listen for the instrumentation involved, this does sound very impressive nonetheless. The music of the Guzheng playing is simple and sweet, yet will not be good for many of you out there due to its limited musical appeal outside of certain musical spheres. It ends quickly.

Guangling Fantasia is the final track on this album. It begins with some more upbeat and pretty Guzheng parts, which sound sweet. Yes, this is an acquired musical taste but it still sounds really good. A really nice sounding piece overall, this is a sweet listen with fairly memorable melodies throughout. Nonetheless, this is awesome to listen to, in its own way. A good way to finish off a decent album that sounds incredibly cool in a traditional Chinese musical and cultural way. This last piece will leave you hanging off every note. A really different yet great listening experience is here. This all sounds incredibly great for what it all is. It ends the album nicely.

This, of course, is a very good album. Although the playing of the Guzheng is definitely an acquired taste, this is world-class traditional Music for those of you who dig a more Eastern and different set of musicality and musicianship. Indeed, Liu Fang should be proud of this release and anyone with a passing interest in Chinese culture should pay attention. Should you listen to this album? It’s really your call, but if you love Eastern Chinese Classical Music, this is a no-brainer.

An excellent set of Chinese classical instrumentation with the Guzheng.

7/10