On reading Sikong Tu's Personalities of poetry: piano pieces by Hua Lin inspired by Chinese poetry

The set of piano compositions titled On Reading Sikong Tu’s Personalities of Poetry was composed by Chinese composer Hua Lin (b. 1942), featuring twelve preludes and twelve fugues. The initial twelve were completed in 1989, with the subsequent twelve finished thirty years later. This musical work draws inspiration from the Er-shi-si Shi-pin (Twenty-Four Poems) of the Tang Dynasty poet Sikong Tu (837–908), encompassing twenty-four distinct poetic styles. Mirroring the poetry, each piece shares the same titles and reflects corresponding styles. Lin adeptly employs musical language to express the moods and atmosphere of the poems. Moreover, this collection showcases the fusion of Western compositional techniques and elements of Chinese culture. Within this collection, the piano skillfully imitates the sounds of a traditional Chinese instrument, the guqin, considered as the ancient zither.

The recording demonstrates the cross-cultural integration of Western and Chinese cultures. At the same time, the aim of this recording is to expand the audience for this set of works and provide a valuable resource for individuals interested in exploring this repertoire or delving into Chinese musical creations.