Huang Ruo: Book of Mountains and Seas

Featuring

Gert Mortensen
Hsiao-Tung Yuan
Michael Murphy
Paul Hillier
Ars Nova Copenhagen
Huang Ruo

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Performer Biography

ARS NOVA Copenhagen, the twelve-voice ensemble on this recording, specializes in Renaissance and contemporary repertoire and has won numerous awards, including a GRAMMY for David Lang's The Little Match Girl Passion.

Composition History

Huang Ruo's opera, Book of Mountains and Seas, was commissioned by multiple organizations including Beth Morrison Projects, ARS NOVA Copenhagen, and the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Huang Ruo's musical style, which he calls 'Dimensionalism,' integrates Chinese ancient and folk music with Western avant-garde, experimental, rock, and jazz influences.

Compositional Technique

The opera Book of Mountains and Seas is described as 'vocal theatre' with an ensemble of twelve singers, performing as separate male and female choruses, and various solo and ensemble combinations.

Performer Biography

Paul Hillier, the conductor of this recording, is an English conductor who founded the Hilliard Ensemble and Theatre of Voices, and has received multiple GRAMMY awards for his work.

Recording & Production

This recording of Huang Ruo's Book of Mountains and Seas is the final recording made under chief conductor Paul Hillier for ARS NOVA Copenhagen, who stepped down in 2022 after 20 years.

Composition History

The composer Huang Ruo significantly altered the ending of the opera during the Covid pandemic lockdown, shifting from a loud, bright glorification of nature to a more quiet and humble reflection on survival.