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Rozpacz (Despair)

from Guardians by Annie Chen

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Digital pack with a 16 pages brochure for lyrics and translations (English and Mandarin), artwork by Lanxia (Summer) Xie and Siyue Li

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    A very small batch of this beautiful production made it to the US, released in China by Fusion Music in Feb 2024. Bonus Track "Unrequited Silence" only release in vinyl and only a handful copies left.

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about

Opening piece Rozpacz means "despair" in Polish, composed by Zbigniew Namyslowski. Annie's interpretation links this concept to Beijing Opera, specifically the classic tragedy "Farewell My Concubine," in which a doomed hero takes his own life when hopelessly surrounded by his enemies. In the context of the entire record, the song speaks to common fears of inevitable environmental destruction. The connection to Beijing Opera is most clearly heard in Annie's vocal improvisation, which seeks to fulfill the role of storyteller without the aid of lyrics.

lyrics

[translation from Mandarin]
The Han troops have occupied our homeland.
We are surrounded by Chu folk songs.
Your Majesty, have lost all the confidence and in despair.
I, as your concubine, have also lost my will to live.

credits

from Guardians, released February 23, 2024
Music by Zbigniew Namyslowski
Lyrics from Traditional Beijing Opera “Farewell My Concubine” by QingYi JuShi
Translation by Annie Chen (in English)
Arrangement by Rafał Sarnecki

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Annie Chen New York, New York

Vocalist, composer, and bandleader Annie Chen has led ensembles varying from duos up to her current octet, and has performed her original music at major venues in the city. Chen’s original compositions which reveal a cohesive musical vision that integrates her influences from across traditional Chinese, Western classical, gospel, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and alternative rock music. ... more

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