Search - Bright Sheng, Gerard Schwarz, New York Chamber Symphony :: Bright Sheng: H'un (Lacerations) and Other Works

Whether he is a genius or not is irrelevant!

Daniel R. Greenfield | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | 02/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The other reviewer whose negative review appears here apparently is complaining about the fact that in October 2001, Bright Sheng was named a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow with a cash prize of $500,000. Whether he is a genius or not is hard to say. I don't know professor Sheng, and so am unaware of whether he consciously goes around proclaiming his genius. My suspicion is, based on the photos I have seen of him on the Internet, that he is relatively quiet, unassuming man. Whether he is in fact a genius or not is a matter of complete irrelevance to me. As for the merits of the work H'un (Lacerations): to me it is an extremely impressive work. It is not any more inaccessible to the average listener than Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps or Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony. In fact, I was reminded of both works as I listened to H'un, although of course I am not implying any similarity of style. It's just that if you enjoy these other two works, then you will enjoy H'un. The other works on the album are also quite enjoyable. Incidentally, I find it somewhat amusing for anyone to consider this music avant-garde in any way. It is very beautiful and engaging music, which you must listen to with a good sound system, with a receptive mind, and preferably with a glass of wine at your side. For anyone with a strong interest in contemporary classical music, this particular album should be on their buy list."