Born in Shanghai, now resident in Greater New York, Ge Gan-ru is one of China's foremost composers. Very different from his previous exploration of the Western avant-garde, Shanghai Reminiscences is a warm and affecting evocation of "the street scenes and sounds" of Gan-ru's childhood in pre-Cultural Revolution Shanghai, viewed through the lens of his adopted American traditions. Butterfly Overture is the composer's symphonic tribute to a beloved teacher from his Shanghai Conservatory days. International Record Review described Ge Gan-ru's string quartets (8.570603) as "Nothing short of contemporary masterpieces".

A resident of New York, Ge Gan-ru is recognized as China's leading avant-garde composer and one of the most original voices of his generation. Our recording of three of his string quartets (8.570603) with the Modern Works quartet was an American Record Guide 'Critic's Choice'. It was also acclaimed as "a magnificent disc... The music is outstanding and deserves the widest possible audience" by International Record Review, while the New York Times considers that Ge Gan-ru's music "deserves to be recognized alongside that of his better-known compatriots like Bright Sheng and Tan Dun." Shanghai Reminiscences is a departure from Ge Gan-ru's engagement with the avant-garde lineage of John Cage and George Crumb, and while leaving aside more striking timbral effects this music will have a wide appeal, resonating with audiences more familiar with the populist works of Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.