The Concerts in China · 1981
About
About the album
In October 1981 Jarre played five concerts in China — two in Beijing on the 21st and 22nd, three in Shanghai on the 26th, 27th and 29th — becoming the first modern Western composer to perform in the country. All five were recorded and filmed, and this album is what came of them.
The trip reshaped the music. Existing pieces were rearranged for the occasion, and Jarre wrote seven new compositions specifically for the tour, moving between electronic music, ambient passages and Chinese traditional forms. "Fishing Junks at Sunset" is his arrangement of the traditional "Fisherman's Chant at Dusk", recorded with the Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra. "Souvenir of China", "Night in Shanghai", "Laser Harp", "Arpegiator" and "Orient Express" also date from here.
The tour was the first time Jarre performed his music with other musicians on stage, and the first outing for the laser harp — two things that shaped every concert he has staged since.
Released 5 May 1982 on Disques Dreyfus. Recorded October 1981, with ambient field recordings and one new studio track threaded through the live material. Seventy-nine minutes.
Tracklist15 tracks · 2 CDs · 1:19:03
CD 1
6 tracks · 40:32- 01The Overture04:47
- 02Arpegiator06:54
- 03Equinoxe IV07:49
- 04Fishing Junks at Sunset09:38
- 05Band in the Rain01:29
- 06Equinoxe VII09:55
CD 2
9 tracks · 38:31- 01Jean-Michel Jarre04:22
- 02Chants Magnetiques I00:21
- 03Magnetic Fields III03:49
- 04Magnetic Fields IV06:49
- 05Laser Harp03:37
- 06Night in Shanghai07:02
- 07The Last Rumba02:11
- 08Magnetic Fields II06:26
- 09Souvenir of China03:54
From the catalogue
