ANU Chinese classical music ensemble

There are 16 pieces which make up the surviving scores in the 清音十番 (Qīngyīn shí fān) tradition of Qing Dynasty palace entertainment music.

The tradition probably dates to at least the 18th century and is said to have been adapted from shifan music of the Jiangnan region.

A small group from our ensemble has been learning these pieces, with a view to recording an album of all 16.

Above is an excellent recording of 小凉州 (Xiǎo liáng zhōu/Small Liangzhou), here spelled小梁州.

From the YouTube description:
”The performing group is the Chengde Qingyin Hui (承德清音会, Chengde Qing Music Society), which comprises a wide variety of traditional wind, string, and percussion instruments, including many that are typical of the Qing Dynasty.

Probably recorded at the Chengde Mountain Resort (Bishu Shanzhuang, 避暑山庄) in Chengde (承德市), northeastern Hebei province (河北省), northern China, 1981. Chengde is located 139 miles (224 km) northeast of Beijing and borders Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Beijing, and Tianjin. It is also located near Qinhuangdao and Tangshan on the Bohai Gulf, as well as landlocked Zhangjiakou.

This recording is from the "Memory of the World - Chinese Traditional Music Sound Archives" (“世界的记忆——中国传统音乐录音档案”), which is maintained by the Chinese National Academy of Arts (中国艺术研究院), which was established in April 1951 in Beijing, China.”