LU - Urban Inventory [CD]

Composer Wang Lu's debut full length recording opens with a sonic portrait of a late afternoon in the life of a Chinese city park, with pre-recorded sounds of conversations layered on top of ephemeral gestures in a mixed instrumentation ensemble. It is the perfect opening of a recording featuring the music by an artist whose ears and mind are always open and always observing with fascination the interface between life and music. Wang Lu is wonderfully adept at painting a scene through sound, using several small gestures that heard together add up to a unique world unto themselves. The ensemble writing that follows throughout the album is often virtuosic and also often tongue in cheek, displaying a dry humor that is refreshing. Throughout the album we hear more interspersed "found sounds" from the Chinese urban environment, creating an expressive world that is both quotidian but also indicative of endearment and a touch of nostalgia. Wang Lu's music is dynamic, colorful, and expressive, drawing from influences that reflect her background without being defined by them. Hers is an important compositional voice for the current generation of contemporary music artists who are shaping the scene, and we should expect to hear much more beguiling music from her in the upcoming years.