Si Ji (Four Seasons) is Chinese guitarist
Xuefei Yang's debut on GSP, and her collection of contemporary guitar miniatures is as gently evocative as the title suggests. While one may understand the need to program mild mood pieces to make an attractive introductory album, it seems
Xuefei has overdone it by choosing too much fluff and little music of substance. Notwithstanding some intricate and virtuosic passagework in these short pieces, the music is tame, easily digested, and blandly unadventurous; consequently, it seems too much like innocuous but forgettable background music for daydreaming. Flavored with pentatonic melodies, some of the pieces may bring Chinese folk music to mind, but many more of these tracks sound like Spanish guitar music softened with touches of new age harmonies and pretty harmonics. Little here will surprise the listener (except perhaps the dramatic opening of
Stephen Goss' Farewell, My Concubine) and nothing will offend; but by the same token, nothing on this CD invites repeated listening, either. GSP's sound quality is fabulous, so guitar aficionados may appreciate
Xuefei's tone and technique, even if the music she plays is less than remarkable.