The Nothing Man and Other Tales
for soprano and large ensemble
I. The Nothing Man
II. Sleeping and Waking up
III. One and Seven
(2023)
- Duration 30'
- Text selected from Telephone Tales by Gianni Rodari, English translation by Antony Shugaar.
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Instrumentation
Soprano
Flute/ piccolo, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C, Bass Trombone, Piano
Percussion: Finger cymbal or a small bell (can be played with one hand), Castanet, Vibraphone, Crotales, Suspended Cymbal, 3 Tom-toms, Snare Drum, 2 High pitched cowbells, Flexatone, Tambourine, Bongos, Guiro, Medium Gong (with Fumi mallet), Bass Drum.
Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double bass - Commission Commissioned by The Barlow Foundation for Music Composition at Brigham Young University
- Premiere June 3rd 2023 by the Seattle Modern Orchestra at Town Hall - Great Hall, Seattle, WA.
Program Notes
One of the most intimate experiences about growing up is listening to a bedtime story and letting the mind slowly drift into the comfort of a dark, sleepy night. I’ve been revisiting this evening ritual by reading to my daughter or listening to the radio in our dimly lit bedroom. Because of this nightly practice, I’ve been miraculously granted access to a fantasy world, through a time machine that travels back to a childhood when my parents were youthful and energetic, when all of life’s chaos could just recede into the warmth of stories every night.
The Nothing Man and Other Tales sets three stories from the Telephone Tales, a collection by beloved Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari. In this book, regardless of where the traveling salesman Mr. Bianchi goes, he always gets to a pay phone to call his daughter and read her a bedtime story. These strangely intriguing and often humorous tales form a bond between father and daughter with their fascinating mix of natural and supernatural worlds, allowing tremendous space for me as a composer to imagine accompanying music with abstract and kaleidoscopic narratives. I hope this piece helps you become “ungrown,” allowing us to wander together in our own unconscious wonderland. This work is dedicated to the musicians of Seattle Modern Orchestra.
– Wang Lu