Review Summary: A beautiful piece of Chinese folk and new age music that's only marred by its repetition.
Being able to replicate qualities of the human voice on an instrument is quite an incredible thing to consider, seeing as it's our most natural source of music. However, especially in the realm of folk music, it would be a wonderful method in giving the audience a more pure and organic vibe that might not ordinarily be achieved. Well, in China, this thought became a reality when the stringed instrument known as the Erhu (also known as "Niko") came to be a fixture in their long line of traditional instruments. Basically, think of a variation on the violin that only has two strings and possesses a very high pitch; while mostly used for Chinese music, it made its way to America on numerous occasions. You can find it in songs like Regina Spektor's "Field Below" and live performances of Nine Inch Nails' "Disappointed," as well as in soundtracks such as
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria and
The Legend of Korra. But many of its players can't say they use it as prominently as the Jams-born musician Jia Peng Fang.
Playing the Erhu is basically in Jia's blood, as he picked up the instrument when he was eight and has played it professionally ever since. But determination was what carried him to be such a talented and prominent musician in his home country, even making a small space on his aunt's veranda so he'd have a place to practice every single day. In the end, however, it would take quite a while for him to truly achieve his dreams; between the Karasan Earthquake cancelling his enlistment exam for the Navy Song and Dance Band and being forced to labor in his homeland because of the Cultural Revolution Policy, he definitely had a lot of setbacks. However, his former Erhu instructor finally sent him a letter recommending that he join the Central Music Academy in Beijing, and Jia ended up being one of the lucky people to join their ranks. The rest is history, as he found himself with his dream of being a professional Erhu player finally achieved, and one of the best examples of his musical maturity and experience is the 2000 album
Rainbow.
Believe me when I say all that backstory is absolutely crucial to Jia Peng Fang's work, because it certainly shows in his playing. In other words, his dedication to his country's musical culture is clearly evident in the highly traditional folk music he presents here.
Rainbow, just like Jia's other studio albums, is incredibly expressive and slow, giving the listener a lot of time to take in the often gorgeous atmosphere being established with both the Erhu and expansive backing instrumentation. The Erhu playing here is top-notch, displaying a high amount of vibrato and trills to give off an almost operatic quality throughout, and that's what I meant by the instrument being able to replicate the human voice in various ways. Also, songs like the title track, "Dawn," and "Sweet Dreams" have to be commended for whomever played the piano, lending more to the new age sound and resembling other artists in the genre such as Enya or Yanni. The piano, acoustic guitar, and Erhu provide a great blend throughout the album, none being more overbearing than the other and displaying many intricacies in the process. "Night in Beijing" really highlights the acoustic guitar work, this time in a more melancholic light and capturing a certain loneliness with its intro's minimalist instrumentation. Then there's "In the Garden," which probably has the most Western qualities in it because of the more contemporary and poppy vibe it exudes.
Similar to artists like Kitaro or Hikaru Hayashi, what makes this all come together is not just how well the compositions are written, but what ambiance they have. With almost every song of
Rainbow, I really got this feeling I was being transported to a different land entirely because of how well the instrumentation and expressive playing did in creating an atmosphere. "Memory of Childhood," true to its title, really does bring back memories of being a kid as it weaves a symphonic wordless tale complete with minor and major key shifts, suggesting shifts in mood as the song wears on. And then there are just plain old songs of rebirth, like the piano-driven classical number "Dawn" and the heavily orchestrated "Homeward." They bring typically warm feelings of rejuvenation and are certainly some of the biggest highlights of the whole experience. The only problem is that the album is perhaps
too consistent in its writing and execution. It's beautiful, yes, but occasionally lacking variation; the new age elements and incredibly slow tempos do get a bit tiring as there are quite a lot of tracks to go through, and there are very few surprises thrown in there. Even the Erhu playing can get somewhat old as the compositions rarely change in pace or dynamics.
Despite this, I still recommend
Rainbow wholeheartedly if you're into the more traditional side of folk music and new age music. It's very slow and occasionally a bit boring, but it's also incredibly passionate and rejuvenating. You can truly feel the passion that Jia Peng Fang pours into his instrument with each trill and wail of the Erhu, and he's also accompanied by some backing musicians who are very talented in their own right. The atmosphere is often gorgeous, the playing is top-notch, and it's lead by a man who's clearly taking pride in the fact his dream has been a reality for years. What more could you want?
