Music of the Bai Opera and the Dai Opera in Yunnan Province

This double CD album is a rare archive of the Bai and Dai music traditions. Both ethnic minorities are from the culturally diverse province of Yunnan, southern China. The Bai CD consists of recordings from an opera performance. The genre is derived from local folklore traditions that date back to the 1700s. The female singers here have a high-pitched, bright nasal singing style, similar to other forms of Chinese opera.

While the Bai and Dai people are neighbours, their music and languages are quite distinctive. In contrast to the first CD, the Dai disc features two types of opera: the more popularised state supported tsoeng maeh (new opera), and tsoeng thaw (a capella old opera). Tsoeng thaw is mostly performed by amateurs, drawing influences from shamanic dance and Buddhist scriptures. While the singing style is unique, it uses guttural stops similar to those found in Thai singing (some argue that the two groups share a common ancestry).

Both traditions are UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Yunnan. Unlike most commercial releases, this is closer to a field recording and was recorded by ethnomusicologist Zhang Xingrong. He wanted to capture the authentic music tradition as close to its original forms as possible, with no changes or attempts to blend in contemporary elements. These ancient traditions might come across as difficult listening for audiences hearing them for the first time. Nevertheless, this is a cultural gem for those who are interested in pure forms of traditional music.