World-renowned as a virtuoso bamboo flutes soloist, composer and arranger, this CD captures the vivid, sensual experiences of his life as a boy, growing up in the Beijing alleys before and during the Cultural Revolution.  It is a musical memoir.  

A journey towards freedom.

 

The hauntingly aching music on CD charts an evocative journey from Guo Yue’s early years in The Hutongs of north-east Beijing, through the Cultural Revolution that exploded in 1966 when he was just eight years old, to his departure for London in 1982 and his vivid, bitter-sweet memories of his recent visits back to China.  Guo Yue’s words in the detailed sleeve notes capture much about his gentle, open but determined personality.  The sounds of dizi (bamboo flute), yang qin (Chinese dulcimer), sheng and erhu are showcased in either stark simplicity or set against the subtle arrangements of the strings of the Secret Sound Orchestra of Budapest. Guo Yue and his second sister Guo Xuan (who still resides in China) provide the beautiful voices.