The Deep, Deep Sea

Zhou Long's The Deep, Deep Se, for alto flute/piccolo, timpani (Jonathan Fox), harp (Gulnara Mashurova) and strings. 'To bridge the deep, deep sea' - thus ends the English translation of the poem 'The Hard Road' by the Chinese poet Li Bai (701-762 A.D.), one of the most important creative artists of the era of the Tang dynasty. Zhou Long made use of the final words of this poem as the title of a work that explores the evocative metaphor of a sea voyage under difficult circumstances. In so doing, he took as his themes the hope that distances may be conquered as well as the awe of mankind in the face of sublime natural forces.
BBC Music Magazine: outstanding; Music Web International, outstanding: Record of the Year 2007: 'This well-filled disc is a real cracker'.