MUSOLIFE (UK) 5 out of 5 stars

This excellent album is the third release in OUR Recordings "Dialogue-East meets West" project and features concertos by four Chinese, Chinese-American and Taiwanese composers. The variety of tonal colours and textures that Michala Petri and the Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra coax from their instruments is spectacular. There is great energy in these performances, and the balance between the soloist and the orchestra is spot on.
Petri uses newly designed Mollenhauer and Moeck Ehlert recorders, which project well and are therefor never overpowered, even in the percussive orchestral passages. The works themselves are so well constructed that the recorder soars effortlessly out from the rich textures.The influence of the dizi or bambooflutes, for which some of the concerts were originally scored, is clear. While Petri uses special techniques including glissandi, flutter.tonging and different kinds of vibrato to emulate the Chinese instruments, she also makes the concertos very firmly the recorder`s own.
Tang Jianping`s "Feige" sounds almost like a film score, particulary in the second movement`s emotionally charged tenor recorder parts, the cadenza of Ma Shui-Long`s "Bamboo Flute Concerto", meanwhile, showcases Petri`s celebrated virtuosity. Perhaps the most evocative work, however, is by Chen Yi. "The Ancient Chinese Beauty" is a fascinating piece with great contrasts and wonderful interplay between the recorder and the orchestra.
Jill Kemp- Sept. 2010