Farewell at Yang Pass

This evening, I recorded another piece: 陽關三疊 (Farewell at Yang Pass). Since the Han dynasty, Yang Pass served as China’s westernmost administrative center near the end of the Great Wall. The poet Wang Wei wrote of seeing his friend off to Anxi. Here, they part ways. His friend pauses here at Yang Pass before leaving civilization and entering “barbarian” lands. Wang Wei reminds his friend: “Out west from Yang Pass reside no old acquaintances.” The coda closes the song: “From today’s parting….Listening for wild geese to come with news.” While the earliest version dates to 1491, the rendition in this recording is from the 1864 transcription.