I Love This Land

"I love this country!" is the title of this album, which is released on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria by GRAMOLA. The present release immortalizes the wonderful singing voice of Austria-based Chinese artist Xin Wang, who on this recording interprets works by the Austrian composers Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf and Gustav Mahler, the German composer Richard Strauss, in addition to Chinese art songs that highlight the special unifying element. Xin Wang is accompanied by the Danish-American pianist Niels Muus, who is well-known to the Austrian audience as a professor at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna as well as before as casting director of the Vienna Volksoper, and who is well acquainted with the international audience as an opera conductor, on the piano "Julius Feurich 280" which was produced in Germany in 1928. The release of this is thus a happy occasion, one that bears witness to the artistic connection between these two countries by an exceptional artist who is as dedicated to the interpretation of music as she is to cultural exchange. To underscore her artistic and personal closeness to Austria, she tellingly chose the text to the art song by Zaiyi Lu ("I Love This Land") as the title of this album!