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Describing the background to this album and the inspiration for its title, Xuefei, known to her English friends as Fei (pronounced Fey), says, “I was born in Beijing, just after the end of the Cultural Revolution – a period where western music and instruments were banned. The music of my childhood was the rich heritage of folk music from all regions of China. It is a music I love, but is little known in the West. When I was nine years old, my life changed when I heard a recording that my father made from his radio – John Williams playing Spanish music on the classical guitar. The magic of Spanish music touched the heart of a young girl in China, and inspired me to become a professional musician. This CD gives me a wonderful opportunity to share my own interpretations of the two musical worlds of my childhood: the music of Spain, and the music of China. The capital cities of these two countries both lie near latitude 40 degrees north. To me, this parallel has come to symbolize the connection I feel to the music of both countries.” Fei’s choice of music from Spain includes works by the great pianist-composers, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados. She made her own arrangements from the original piano scores despite the fact that Sevilla (from the Suite española), Córdoba (from Chants d’Espagne) and Valses poéticos have long been part of the established guitar repertoire. Castilla, one of the Seguidillas from Chants d’Espagne, is better known as a guitar duo than as a work for solo guitar. Fei’s Spanish selection concludes with Carnival of Venice by the father of the modern guitar, Francisco Tárrega.