Ying Quartet - Dim Sum (2008)

Dim Sum -- the Chinese brunch-like culinary practice of serving small portions of many different items -- may seem like an unusual choice for a title of a classical album. But in this case, the Ying Quartet's choice is perfectly apt and quite clever. The album features the works of eight different Chinese composers; the works selected are either short pieces played in their entirety or short excerpts from multi-movement works. Many of the recordings are also world premieres. The broad assortment of composers and compositions all share a common thread: a brilliant synthesis of traditional Chinese musical elements with Western art music. With their long-extant reputation for breaking the boundaries of traditional classical music, the all-sibling Ying Quartet seems uniquely suited for this project. The group's playing throughout the album is energetic, passionate, magnificently unified both technically and musically, and above all, highly idiomatic of the traditional Chinese elements. The sound is typically brighter than many other prominent quartets, but especially in this particular instance, this sound seems to work to its advantage by highlighting some of the more non-Western harmonies and intonations. Anyone seeking to break outside the traditional confines of the quartet literature would do well to add this album to their collection.

Review by Mike D. Brownell