November Airs
for flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello
(2021)
- Duration 15'
-
Instrumentation
Flute/ Bass Flute
Clarinet in Bb/ Bass Clarinet
Piano
Percussion (1 player): Triangle, Almglockens, Crotales, 2 Cymbals, Bass drum, Long Gong, Tambourine, MIDI pedal to trigger tape
Violin
Viola
Cello
Program Notes
Dedicated to the Talea Ensemble
By the water, in the wilderness of the field, among the ancient tombs and around the poplar trees, when insects buzz frailly at the end of autumn, a ghostly presence starts to recite a despairing poem with a most enchanting voice, whispering along a midnight breeze. She sings a mesmerizing love song to a kindred spirit who dares to approach her, guided by fireflies. Many of the romantic stories from the Strange Tales of a Chinese Studio often feature the trope of a deceased woman and an ill-fated lonely scholar. The poetic natural settings of these stories and the writer’s deep empathy elicited a particular mood for this piece. Through slow and delicate rotations of fragmented musical motives, subtle and gentle microtonal shades of the harmony, barren silences, and spatialization, this piece passes on an intimacy from ancient literature to listeners today.
A video projection is created by artist Polly Apfelbaum for this work.
– Wang Lu