XuefeiYang
- Guitar
About Xuefei
Xuefei Yang is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. Her fascinating journey began after the Cultural Revolution, a period where Western musical instruments and music were banned in China. Fei was the first-ever guitarist in China to enter a music school and became the first recognised Chinese guitarist on the world stage.
Her artistry connects with audiences far beyond the guitar fraternity and she has performed in more than 50 countries at prestigious venues. She is frequently invited to play with the world’s leading orchestras, and collaborate with artists such as Ian Bostridge, Johannes Moser, Roberto Alagna and Sir James Galway.
Gramophone magazine praised her as one of the leading innovators of her generation for continuing to build the guitar repertoire. Fei has made many acclaimed recordings for major labels. Her first received a gold disc and her second was selected as Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine. Her recent recordings include Songs from our Ancestors with Ian Bostridge and solo albums: Summertime, Winter Songs (Apple Music), Sketches of China (Decca) and Magna Carta: the complete guitar works of John Brunning with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Apple Music). Fei’s latest recording, X Culture, in which composers explore musical inspirations from other cultures, reflects her own cross-culture journey. Her latest recording release is “Songs of Joy and Sorrow”, a new collaboration with cellist Johannes Moser.
Contact
For availability and general enquiries:
Melanie Moult
Adam Brady
Representation
Season Highlights
Video
- Playing
Brunning: Concerto Magna Carta
Finale of Brunning's Concerto Magna Carta performed by Xuefei Yang and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Clark Rundell Credit: Philharmonic Hall
Xuefei Yang & Maria Vega
From Xuefei's "Spanish Rhapsody" programme with Flamenco dancer Maria Vega Credit: Xuefei Yang
Sword Dance
Sword Dance by Changjun Xu, arranged by Xuefei Yang, performed at the Changsha International Guitar Festival Credit: Xuefei Yang
Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin
Credit: Xuefei Yang
Selected Repertoire
A. Vivaldi
Concerto in D, Op.3, No.9
Alan Thomas
Rhapsody on a Spanish Theme
Antonio Lauro
Guitar Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Astor Piazzolla
Double concerto for guitar and bandoneon
Ernesto Cordero
Guitar Concerto
György Kurtág
Grabstein für Stefan
Isaac Albeni
Guitar Concerto (arrangement of Albeniz pieces by Stephen Goss)
J. Rodrigo
Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un Gentihombre
J.S. Bach
Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor and No.2 in D minor (arr. for guitar and chamber orchestra/string quartet)
John Brunning
Magna Carta Concerto
Leo Brouwer
Concerto No.3 Elegaico
M. C. Tedesco
Concerto in D, Op.99
M. Giuliani
Concerto in A
Malcolm Arnold
Guitar Concerto
Manuel Ponce
Guitar Concerto
Richard Harvey
Concerto Antico
Richard Harvey
Fantasia for guitar and erhu
Ross Edwards
Concerto for Guitar and Strings
Simon Bainbridge
Guitar Concerto
Stephen Dodgson
Guitar Concertos No.1 & No.2 for chamber orchestras, Guitar and Violin Concerto for string orchestra, Concertino for two Guitars for string orchestra
Tan Dun
Guitar Concerto
Toru Takemitsu
To the Edge of Dream, Vers,L'Arc-en-Ciel,Palma, Spectral Canticle
Villa Lobos
Concerto for Guitar
Sample Programmes
X Culture
Mark Houghton - Dance of the Orient (composed for Xuefei Yang) English composer, oriental inspiration Maurice Ravel - Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas from Mother Goose Suite French composer, oriental inspiration Tan Dun - Seven Desires (selection) Chinese composer, Spanish flamenco inspiration Steve Goss - Chinese Garden : > Jasmine Flower > Blue Orchid > Red Flowers Blooming all over the Mountain Welsh composer, Chinese inspiration Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence Japanese composer, western cinema inspiration Leo Brouwer - Hika : In Memoriam Toru Takemitsu Cuban composer, Japanese inspiration Carlo Domeniconi : Koyunbaba Italian composer, Turkish inspiration Interval Roland Dyens - Saudade No. 3 French composer, Brazilian inspiration Dilermando Reis - two pieces > Se ela perguntar (If she should ask) > Uma Valsa e Dois Amores (Waltz for two lovers) Brazilian composer, European dance inspiration Nikita Koshkin - Usher Waltz Russian composer, American literature inspiration John C. Williams - Homage to Barrios Australian composer, Paraguayan inspiration Jiří Jirmal - Baden Jazz Suite Czech composer, Brazilian inspiration
Bach to Brazil
LEGNANI Andante and Allegro from the Overture to Rossini's William Tell BACH: Suite for solo guitar BWV 995 XU ARR. YANG Changjun Sword Dance Interval PACO DE LUCIA Reflejo de Luna GRANADOS La Maja de Goya GRANADOS Danza Espagnola No. 4 DEBUSSY La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin DE FALLA Homenagem a Claude Debussy DE FALLA Miller's Dance from The Three Cornered Hat VILLA-LOBOS Scottish Choro JOBIM ARR. DYENS Felicidade BONFA Manha de Carnaval GAROTO Lamentos do Morro
Illustrations from East and West
East-west contrasting pairs of pieces, each illustrating a single theme Nocturne Chinese Trad*. - Moonlit Night on the Spring River Albeniz - Cordoba Serenade Chinese Trad.* - Fisherman’s Song at Eventide Schubert (arr. Mertz) - Serenade Fiery Dance Rodrigo - Invocation and dance Xu* - Sword Dance Interval Clouds Wang* - Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon Reinhardt (arr. Dyens) - Nuages From the Middle East Ning- Camel Bells on Silk Road. Nino Ricardo - Gitaneria Arabesca Carnival Liu & Mao* - Yao Dance Tarrega - Carnival of Venice *Arranged by Xuefei Yang
Christmas/Winter’s programme
Ancient Chinese Classic - Plum Blossom in Three Variations Ancient Chinese Classic - White Snow in the Spring Sunlight Vassiliev - Snowdrop Huang Zi - Plums Blossoms in the Snow Schubert - Ellens dritter Gesang (Ave Maria), D839 Op 52 no 6 - Ständchen (Serenade), D.889 Llobet - El Noi de la Mare (The Mother’s Child) Sanz - Canarios Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence Tarrega - Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) Peña - El Nuevo Dia (A New Day) Interval Piazzolla - Oblivion - Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter) Barrios - Villancico de Navidad (Christmas Carol) - Danza Paraguaya (Paraguan Dance) Bonfa - Manhã de Carnaval (Morning of the Carnival) Jobim - A Felicidade (Happiness) Baden Powell - Chanson d’hiver (Winter Song) Merlin - Suite del Recuerdo (Suite of Memories)
With Avi Avital, mandolin:
VIVALDI Concerto in C major RV425 SCARLATTI Sonata K89 BACH Chaconne, from violin Partita BWV1004 (solo mandolin) DE FALLA Siete Canciones Populares Españolas Interval PIAZZOLLA Two pieces: - Cafe 1930 - Escualo BARRIOS Un Sueño en la Floresta (guitar solo] CHANGJUN XU Sword Dance (guitar solo) BARTOK Romanian Dances YEHEZKEL Sonata for mandolin and guitar
With Heath Quartet
MOZART String Quartet in C major, K.465 (Quartet) SOR Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart, Op.9 (Fei) GIULIANI Guitar Concerto in A major, Op.30 (Fei and Quartet)
With Maria Vega, flamenco dancer
ISAAC ALBÉNIZ: Suite Españole op.165 JOAQUIN MALATS: Serenata Española ISAAC ALBÉNIZ arr. YANG: Suite Españole Op.47: Asturias ISAAC ALBÉNIZ arr. YANG: Suite Españole Op.47: Sevilla FRANCISCO TÁRREGA: Gran Jota Interval ENRIQUE GRANADOS: Danza Espagnola No. 4 ENRIQUE GRANADOS: La Maja de Goya GRANADOS ARR. YANG: Zapateado CLAUDE DEBUSSY: La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin MANUEL DE FALLA: Homenaje a Claude Debussy MANUEL DE FALLA: Miller's Dance from The Three Cornered Hat JOAQUIN RODRIGO: Invocacion y Danza NIŇO RICARDO: Gitaneria Arabesca PACO DE LUCIA: Reflejo de Luna PACO PEÑA: Colombiana
With Johannes Moser, cello
Dowland : Selection of Songs Bach: Prelude from Suite No. 4 BWV 1010 (cello solo) Weiss: Fantasie in D minor (guitar solo) Bach: Sarabande from Suite No. 4 BWV 1010 (cello solo) Weiss: Passagaille in D major (guitar solo) Schubert : Arpeggione Sonata, D.821 Interval Xu (arr. Yang) : Sword Dance (guitar solo) Sheng : Three Songs for Cello & Pipa Reid : Somewhere there is Something Else {cello solo) Falla : Songs from Siete canciones populares españolas
News
Press
Recital
BostonMar 2023The unusual aspect of Yang’s Saturday evening concert lies in her ability to combine multiple genres, perform with an improvisatory spirit, and engage with generosity. This artist has done much to expand the classical guitar repertoire, through amalgamating and expanding genres.
- Boston Musical Intelligencer
- 15 March 2023
Guitar Favourites
recordingMar 2023Barrios's La catedral is another highlight, with an exquisitely spacious "Saudade" and an Allegro solemne of fleet majesty. Here, as throughout, Yang brings to her trademark lightness and sweetness of tone and impeccable technique a greater expressive freedom than ever before
- Gramophone
- 05 March 2023
Sketches of China
recordingNov 2020Truth, fantasy, boldness and delicacy. Listening to Chinese classical guitarist Xuefei Yang’s latest album is like watching a parade of exquisitely rendered beasts on a silk handscroll...If this gorgeous recording finds its ideal pictorial analogue in a painted scroll, Xuefei Yang’s playing can best be compared to the spontaneity and control of a master calligrapher.
- Gramophone Magazine
- 08 November 2020
This is a seriously virtuosic performance that takes “classical guitar” in many exciting new directions.
- Classical Guitar Magazine
- 01 December 2020
A landmark release, not only of guitar music but of the growing interaction between Chinese and Western musical cultures.
- All Music
- 02 September 2020
Recital
Herbst Theater San FranciscoApr 2017The high point of the evening was Yang’s arrangement of Sword Dance by Xu Chang-Jun, president of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. Inspired by poetry from the era of the Tang Dynasty by poet Du Fu, the music portrays images of piercing arrows, flying dragons, and furious lightning with tremolo, rasgueado strums, and percussive attacks. The modal work was written originally written for the liuqin, a four-stringed Chinese plucked instrument with a pear-shaped body. The skillful arrangement and performance opened a new world of sounds for the classical guitar.
- San Francisco Classical Voice
- 10 April 2017
Songs from our ancestors
recordingSep 2016the converging paths of Ian Bostridge, 49, and Xuefei Yang, 37, have met in a programme of music that conjoins their British and Chinese heritage, while calling upon a gift they share – the capacity to make the voice or instrument express character... Yang, for her part, is able to draw from the guitar the sound of many other instruments, which makes her a particularly exciting accompanist, as versatile as a pianist but capable of greater intimacy.
- The Independent
- 21 November 2014
There’s a lot going on here, a lot for the ear to assimilate, but it’s a disc that really comes into focus with repeated listens... Yang reinvents herself convincingly throughout the disc – now a troubadour, now a folk musician, now a concert-hall soloist. Her selections from Chinese repertoire are tantalising – hints of an alien musical world that, here, feels far closer than you’d imagine.
- Gramophone Magazine
- 03 November 2014
Xuefei Yang’s playing is sensitive, agile and graceful, both when functioning as accompanist and on the instrumental solos. Although using various guitars throughout, when appropriate she vividly evokes lute, mandolin and even the Chinese four-stringed pipa and zither-like guqin, using a modified seven-string guitar to realise the Mong dynasty tune Flowing Water, probably dating from Shakespeare’s time. Recording ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★★
- BBC Music Magazine
- 01 December 2016
