The songs on this album include some of the most beloved classical poems from the Tang and Song dynasties (618 A.D.-1279 A.D.) as well as the most popular folk songs, which, because of their beauty and popularity in China, are today considered to be of highly artistic quality.
“As an opera singer born in China, I have enjoyed a 15-year-long career singing abroad. During this long period, I have experienced the highs and lows of traveling, singing, and simply surviving. Much of time I was on my own and was sometimes very lonely. Often I was overcome with acute nostalgia for the beautiful Chinese melodies that I remember from my childhood. I thought many times how much I would love to present them to the West. As a full-time singer performing in Western operas in Europe and North America, I had little opportunity to work on sharing my native music with the world. But now that, between concerts, I am often back in China, I have had time to properly prepare this great music, to sift through songs and make good selections. For the benefit of non-Chinese speakers, I have personally translated the lyrics of these songs into the English that can be sung. Additionally, there are four more songs sung in English included as bonus tracks; I believe it is the first time these songs have ever been recorded.” Jingma Fan
