Tienhao Jan’s Choral Story: Wind, Snow, Love, Star

~ Never before have such voices been heard in this world ~

[A Cradle of Romance] Featuring the new work “Wind, Snow, Love, Star: Four Poems by Xu Zhimo” (風雪戀星—徐志摩詩四首)

[Eternal Memories] Classic romantic arrangements including “Yueqin” (月琴), “Drifting Clouds, Wandering Son” (浮雲游子), “Endless Love” (不了情), and “Autumn Wind, Night Rain” (秋風夜雨).

Tien hao Ran, the gifted creator of Taiwanese musicals such as “Ho-Chu’s New Match” (荷珠新配), “Soong Mei-ling: Looking Back on a Century” (世紀回眸．宋美齡), and “April Rain” (四月望雨), began a musical career as a choral arranger. Ran’s finely detailed arrangements transform classic Mandarin oldies and folk songs into choral music both stylish and romantic. They have swept Taiwan, with choirs eager to perform them, won the Best Arrangement Award at the 2002 Taiwan Vocal Ensemble Competition, and brought a steady stream of commissions from groups of every kind.

Founded seventeen years ago, Taipei Chamber Singers is one of Taiwan’s top choirs, with more prizes from European international choral competitions than any other choir in Taiwan. In recent years, under Austrian-trained conductor Yun-Hung Chen, its work in contemporary music has impressed audiences internationally; in 2007 it became the first Taiwanese choir invited to sing at the ISCM-ACL World Music Days.

In 2009, Taiwan’s sought-after musical theater talent joined forces with these internationally acclaimed voices to record the fruits of Ran’s 14 years of arranging and songwriting. The album exclusively features “Wind, Snow, Love, Star: Four Poems by Xu Zhimo,” commissioned by Taipei Chamber Singers in 2008, which marked Ran’s very first attempt at an entirely original composition. The deep romance of Xu Zhimo’s “April in the World” (人間四月天) comes alive across time, in an album well worth treasuring.

Collaborators

Conductor / Yun-Hung Chen

Piano / Bao Yi Zhang

Performers / Taipei Chamber Singers