Ge Gan-ru: Four Studies of Peking Opera (2003) for string quartet and piano - 2: Aria

“Aria“ from 葛甘孺 Ge Gan-ru: Four Studies of Peking Opera (2003) for string quartet and piano 1. Prologue 2. Aria 3. Narrative 4. Clown Music performed by ECLIPSE QUARTET: (Sara Parkins and Sarah Thornblade, violins Alma Lisa Fernandez, viola Maggie Parkins, cello) and Genevieve Feiwen Lee, piano Four Studies of Peking Opera In Four Studies of Peking Opera Ge Gan-ru turns to the most established and well-known form of musical drama in China for his inspiration. Throughout the work the instruments of the quintet take on mimetic roles. The instrumental ensemble that accompanies Peking Opera figures as the sonic model for the work, with the prepared piano serving largely as the percussion section of the ensemble and the strings as the melody instruments, such as the jinghu, a two-stringed bowed fiddle. However, Ge Gan-ru avoids strictly defined roles for each of the instruments and uses the ensemble to explore unique sonic representations of Peking Opera drama. Without the elaborate face painting, costumes,