Recommended Sheet Music, Edition Peters: Silk Road Library

In association with the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Edition Peters have embarked on a new landmark project, the Silk Road Library. A select group of China's leading contemporary composers have been commissioned to compose a range of orchestral works inspired by the cultural exchange and rich legacy of the Silk Road, looking forward to the new Belt and Road Initiative of the 21st Century. Leipzig, the historic home of Edition Peters, sits proudly on this New Silk Road. From the very beginning of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty (c. BC 130) to it's closure in the mid-fifteenth century, the original Silk Road defined the shape of the commercial and cultural landscape of the ancient and medieval world.

Professor Zhang Boyu, Managing Director of the Central Conservatory of Music Press and the Director of China Intangible Culture Heritage Research and Conservation Centre says:

'There are many splendid cultural achievements along the Silk Road, some of which have become cultural treasures in China because of their historical, ethnic and regional characteristics.

In 2014, the China Intangible Culture Heritage Research and Conservations Centre was founded by the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) and the 'Music Research and Creation along the Silk Road Project' was launched. The project consists of two aspects: research and composition, embracing the concepts of conservation, understanding and recreation.

The works included in this new Silk Road Library belong to the second phase of the project, recreation. Inspiration for these works was derived from the composers’ journeys along the Silk Road and each piece represents a strongly personalized response to, and understanding of, the enormous significance of the Silk Road. The series includes a range of highly individual compositional styles and each composer has made profoundly different aesthetic choices to express their understanding and experiences of the Silk Road.'

Each work in the series will be released as a high-quality custom print full score. The series offers an inspirational new range of repertoire for orchestras and venues, providing the opportunity to forge stronger cultural links between East and West.

The Edition Peters Silk Road Collection