Set to poetry, and typically performed by a classically trained vocalist accompanied by a pianist, art song occupies a distinct place in the musical world for its intimacy and ability to connect deeply with listeners.

As a child, Li Yanbing was intrigued by the genre. After learning to play the piano and graduating from the composition department at the China Conservatory of Music, Li now teaches in the art education department at the Teachers' College of Beijing Union University, and recently announced the release of an album of art songs called Cong Cong (In Haste). The album seamlessly weaves poetry with evocative melody, and re-imagines Chinese art songs for contemporary listeners.

It features collaborations with soprano Wang Zhe, and pianist Huang Ruoyu. Each track is a tapestry of text and music, designed to draw listeners into a world of emotional depth and nuanced storytelling.

"I've always been inspired by the way art songs convey profound emotion in such a short time," says Li. "With Cong Cong, I wanted to honor the genre's traditions while also infusing it with my own interpretations. These songs reflect my understanding of art songs and poems that have deeply moved me. By blending literature and music, I want to give the timeless resonance of poems and the transformative power of art songs new dimensions of meaning."

Drawing lyrical inspiration from Chinese literature, Li named the album after Cong Cong, a well-known piece of prose by modern essayist and poet Zhu Ziqing (1898-1948). With its powerful themes, heartfelt emotions, poetic expression, intricate structure, and enduring impact, the emotional piece written in 1922 has become a classic of modern Chinese literature.

In 2013, inspired by a fresh reading of Cong Cong, lyricist Wu Honglan turned it into a poem and gave it to her friend and colleague, Li, who wrote an initial melodic framework. The piece was set aside due to challenges Li faced in finding harmonic language that aligned with the feel of Wu's poem. In November 2021, she resumed work, completing it as an art song and in January, Cong Cong premiered as the first song in a cycle of poetry art songs, composed and performed by Wang.

"I tried to add renewed vitality to this well-known piece, to convey a deep appreciation for time and a love of life," says Li, who built the composition around a singing quality that unifies the musical narrative.

"What makes art songs truly special is their power to tell stories, and reflect universal human experiences in a concise, poetic form. To listeners, each one feels like a private conversation, or a glimpse into the artist's inner world."

In April 2012 and then pursuing her master's degree in composition, Li stumbled upon the poem You Are the April of This World, which Lin Huiyin (1904-55), one of China's most celebrated architects, who was also a writer and poet, wrote for her son. She was immediately captivated by her life and work and as a mother, found herself moved by the poem. The initial draft of Li's adaptation was completed on her son's fifth birthday, and reflects her personal connection to the poem's themes. It is also on the album.

"Overflowing with warmth, vitality, and a celebration of love and life, the poem captures a sense of beauty and renewal," Li says.

Li's adaptation of the poem Private Whispers, written by Xu Zhimo (1897-1931) in 1922, has a particular history. Originally composed in the autumn of 1995 as a student piece during her second year at the China Conservatory of Music, it was first played at a concert the following year. Nearly three decades later, she revisited it, infusing the piece with reflections on life and nostalgia. The result, a total re-imagining, was finished in November last year.

"The poem is a lyrical masterpiece of delicate emotion, vivid language, rhythmic beauty, and philosophical undertones. By blending imagery with introspection, Xu Zhimo crafted a poignant meditation on time, life, and emotion," Li says. "I made adjustments to enhance its lyrical qualities, such as rhythmic fluidity, and recomposed the piano accompaniment.

"The revised version is very special to me since it bridges my past and present, a demonstration of my own evolution that still honors the poetic and musical essence of the original."

Snow Returning to the Homeland, written by Song Qingsong in 1998, is a simple, moving poem that embodies a wanderer's yearning for home. Inspired by a snowy return to Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province, Song reflects on the emotional power of a homecoming. The sight of falling snowflakes covering the land in a wintry embrace sparked the realization that he too was returning to the embrace of his home.

This sentiment resonated with Li, herself a native of Heilongjiang, but who has lived elsewhere since she was 13, first in Xi'an in Shaanxi province and later in Beijing.

"Snow Returning to the Homeland awakened long-buried emotions and memories of snowy landscapes and a feeling of homesickness," Li says, adding that she channeled these emotions into an art song that brought the poem to life in October 2021. Through it, the composer not only pays tribute to the poignant narrative, but also expresses her own bittersweet nostalgia as someone who is longing for her roots.

Huang, who is also an associate professor in the piano department at Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music, says: "Li's compositions lend time a tangible presence, rendering it singable, audible, and deeply felt. Performing her work brings me immense joy."

"The album exemplifies this fusion of tradition and modernity. It draws on elements of Chinese and Western musical traditions that enrich the genre with layered textures and storytelling. For listeners, it is an immersive experience that transcends time and culture," says Wang, a vocal professor at the Central Conservatory of Music.

She adds that she enjoys You Are the April of This World in particular because when she recorded the song early this month, her son turned 2.

"As a result, the song is special to both of us, and the recording process went smoothly," Wang says.

Other highlights of Cong Cong include a musical re-imagining of Ruan Lang Gui: Early Summer, by Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) poet Su Shi, which Li has transformed into a poetic and musical tableau, brimming with life's simple pleasures and the beauty of early summer.