The Concerts in China - Remastered

In 1981 the Chinese government invited Jean-Michel Jarre to perform in a country that had only recently reopened to the West.

He played five indoor stadium concerts — two in Beijing, three in Shanghai — becoming the first Western musician to perform there following the Cultural Revolution. The recordings were released the following year as The Concerts In China.

Jarre composed seven new pieces specifically for the tour, moving between electronic music, ambient and Chinese traditional forms. Among them was "Fishing Junks at Sunset", his arrangement of the traditional "Fisherman's Chant at Dusk", recorded with the Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra. The tour was also the first time he performed with other musicians on stage, and the first outing for the laser harp.

In his own words, it remains probably the most surreal and poetic of all his experiences — an honour, and like visiting another planet, with the same curious awe running both ways between stage and audience. He has returned to China often since, performing at the Forbidden City and on Tiananmen Square.

The 40th anniversary edition, released 25 November 2022, is fully remastered. The tracklist mirrors the original album. Available as a 180g 2LP in gatefold sleeve with a collector's poster of previously unpublished images, as a 2CD with collector's booklet, and digitally.