The Alchemist - Jia Jia Qiao.pdf - Edition Svitzer

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Jia Jia Qiao

Amazonka / Yevhen Stankovych 8:39
(2008)
Amazonka is the Ukrainian word for Amazon - the Women Warriors. According to myth, the Amazons were
an all-female society of fierce warriors who supposedly lived in the area north of the Black Sea. The Amazon
society was described as stringently matriarchal. Males were of no use other than for mating purposes and
as slaves, doing work that was traditionally performed by women. The limbs of the men were amputated
so that they could not rebel and escape. It has been Yevhens intention to translate this story into music.
Arena - Solo Version / Tobias Broström 10:49
(2004)
This solo percussion piece is extracted from Tobias Broström’s Arena - Percussion Concerto No. 1, which
was written for the Swedish percussionist Johan Bridger. The piece does not include the complete solo
percussion part and has, in some aspects, been rewritten to work as a solo. The name Arena derives from
the fact that during a performance of the concerto version, the soloist walks between percussion set-ups
located at various positions on stage.
Mirrors of Emptiness / Grigory Smirnov 14:50
(2008)
Digital delay (echo) produces reflections of sound like a mirror produces reflections of light. Sound of
marimba reminded me of something empty: marimba actually uses a physical emptiness for the acoustic
resonance. I thought about how emptiness can produce some illusion of ‘fullness’ just through numerous
reflections of itself. In the same way some of our ‘empty’ thoughts growing by external reflections and
repetitions may produce an ‘empty’ reality.
The Alchemist’s Wisdom / Rafael Reina 10:52
(2008)
I found clear parallels between the new angle to the myth of Alchemy explored by C. G. Jung and the piece
I was writing. My research in Karnatic (South Indian classical) music was the starting point for the piece, in
three different aspects: Use of many rhythmical techniques, use of a complex raga that enabled me to
construct rich chordal progressions, and structures and proportionality concepts derived from Vedic
geometry. I tried also to combine rhythmical passages with more color-oriented parts to re-create the
mystery that the world of the Alchemist provoke in me.
The Crystal 5:21
Swedish folksong (unknown)
The Crystal is one of the most beautiful Medieval love songs, and it originally comes from Dalarna, Sweden.
The composer and lyricist are unknown. Still today the folk music is an art form which is very much alive,
practiced by old and young alike all over Dalarna. The tradition is passed on from musician to musician,
from one generation to the next, affecting and capturing the attention of the listener. In this version the
Crystal has been arranged by the recognized Danish composer/vibraphonist Max Seide Leth.
Original Lyrics
(The Crystal)
Though crystal shines rarely,
like sunlight so clearly,
like glittering stars in the sky,
I know of a maiden whose grace shines more fairly,
a maid in the village nearby.
To you, my love, my heart’s sweet flower,
Oh would that I were with you at this hour.
Oh that I might your true love be
and your troth were plighted to me,
for roses are comely on fine broidery.
And though I should travel to earth’s farthest countries,
my heart would still cry out to you.
And though I should travel to earth’s farthest countries,
And though I should travel to earth’s farthest countries,
to you, my love, my heart’s sweet flower.

Composers
Yevhen Stankovych (1942)
Was born in Svaliava, Transcarpathian Region in Ukraine. Yevhen Stankovych is one of the central figures of
contemporary Ukrainian music. A prolific composer, he has written a large number of symphonies, operas,
ballets, as well as film music, vocal and instrumental chamber genres. Today Yevhen Stankovych is the chair
of the Faculty of Composition at the National Academy of Music in Kiev and the Chairman of the Composers’
Union of Ukraine.
Tobias Broström (1978)
Was born in Helsingborg, Sweden. Following percussion studies he embarked on the pursuit of a Master’s
degree in composition, studying with Rolf Martinsson and Luca Francesconi. Since autumn 2006, Tobias
has been Composer-in-Residence with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra. Numerous soloists, ensembles and
orchestras have performed his works throughout Europe, the USA and Asia.
Grigory Smirnov (1982)
Grigory Smirnov was born in 1982 in Novosibirsk, in the Siberian part of Russia. He studied piano at the
Novosibirsk Music College (1996-2000) and composition at the Novosibirsk State Conservatoire (2000-2006),
where his teacher was Yuri Yukechev. His oeuvre includes chamber, orchestral, choral and electronic works.
Grigory Smirnov is also a piano performer working mostly in the field of improvised music.
Rafael Reina (1961)
Born in Equatorial Guinea, moved to Madrid at the age of seven. Graduated ‘Summa cum Laude’ in composition
from Berklee College of Music in 1988. From 1993, when he moved to Amsterdam, Reina spent long
periods in South India studying theory of Karnatic music with Jahnavi Jayaprakash. This led to the program
‘Contemporary Music Through Non-Western Techniques’ at the Conservatory of Amsterdam (http://web.
mac.com/cmtnwt). His extensive oeuvre of ensemble pieces and operas have been performed all over
Europe, US, and Asia. As of 2003 he also has Dutch nationality.
Max Seide Leth (1921)
Was born into a musical family. In 1938, Max entered The Royal Danish Academy of music as a pianist and
graduated with Soloist’s Diploma. Max Seide Leth’s life was changed forever one evening at a concert where
the venue had no piano for him to play. They offered him an old vibraphone instead. Max was not comfortable
with this, but after some deliberation he decided to perform the concert on the vibraphone - with
success!

Edition Svitzer
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Jia Jia Qiao
When she was eleven years old Jia Jia passed the audition to be a percussion student at The Central
Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Years later she graduated and got the job as classical Chinese percussion
teacher at the same institution, which she still holds today. She has devoted herself to the performance of
contemporary music written for her by Asian and western composers. Her knowledge of both traditions
and her enthusiasm for new challenges enables her to perform different aesthetics of today’s music with
formidable ease, accuracy and passion.
She is considered one of the best Asian percussionists of contemporary music. In September 2008, Jia Jia
Qiao realized a long tour in Scandinavia, closing it with a concert at the New Opera House in Copenhagen.
In this tour she world-premiered three pieces that the audience greatly acclaimed and led to a huge success
of this tour. Together with Edition Svitzer Jia Jia decided to record the complete concert program, which gave
birth to her debut album - The Alchemist.
Wang Yunyue (piano)
Was born in Beijing. At the age of twelve she was enrolled in the Central Conservatory of Music to study
piano under the well-known piano teachers Prof. Zhou Guangren and Prof. Zhong Hui. Nowadays she is
teaching at this conservatory. As a performance teacher, she has been being awarded with the ‘Students
excellent performance’, and she’s recorded several CDs.

Credits
Sound Engineer & Producer: Tobias Broström
Studio: FM-Produktion
Recorded in Copenhagen 17-19 September 2008
Liner notes: Johan Svitzer & Vanessa Goad
Photo, Makeup & Poetry: Josefine Jönsson
Cover: Kristopher Tophøj Rasmussen &
Thomas Hoffmann Duvander
www.editionsvitzer.com

1 Amazonka
Yevhen Stankovych
2 Arena - Solo Version
Tobias Broström
3 Mirrors of Emptiness
Grigory Smirnov
4 The Alchemist’s Wisdom
Rafael Reina
5 The Crystal
Swedish folksong / arr. Max Seide Leth