"At the Brink of the Chill" – for violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano

Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

 

listen [mvmt 1] (3'33")    [mvmt 2] (6'41") | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble - San Francisco, May 2009

 

I began writing this piece in a most glorious day in Fall 2008 during my residency at the Copland House in the Hudson River Valley, when the fall foliage was at its peak. The second movement, which was actually composed first, is the contemplative reflection of my being in such a surrounding. On the other hand, the first movement, with a more jovial and lively character, is a portrayal of my heightened excitement while driving down the highway from Boston to the Hudson River Valley. However, all of these splendors soon died down, turning into a lusterless sight in less than a week’s time, surely to be followed by a long, bitter winter. This sudden change is reflected in the third movement with its stark dreariness.

 

"Pu Songling's Bizarre Tales" – for erhu, pipa, yangqin, piccolo/alto flute, bass clarinet, and percussion

Commissioned by Meet The Composer

For Music From China

listen  mvt. 2 Stealing a Peach (2'54")

Music From China; Yu-Hui Chang, conductor – New York, April 2011

This piece takes inspirations from Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, a collection of Chinese ghost stories written by Pu Songling of Qing Dynasty,  Five stories are chosen from the book as the themes for each of the five short movements.  "Stealing a Peach", the second movement, describes a pair of father-and-son street performers and their incredible stunt.

"Rhetorical Flourishes" – for soprano, viola, clarinet/bass clarinet, and percussion

Commissioned by the Monadnock Music Festival

 

listen   I. Oh! On an April Morning (3'15")    II. Let's Hear It  (5'39")  

Tony Arnold, soprano; Louise Schulman, viola; Jean Kopperud, clarinets; Dominic Donato, percussion; James Baker, conductor – Wellesley, July,  2011

 

Rhetorical Flourishes is a set of songs using three poems by Neil Shepard: Oh! On an April Morning, Let's Hear It, and Empiricist of Clouds.  It was written for the fantastic soprano Tony Arnold, who gave the premiere in August 2010 at the Monadnock Music Festival. 

"Mountain is Mountain" – for flute and string orchestra

Commissioned by the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra

listen [mvmt 1] (5'11") | San Francisco Chamber Orchestra under Ben Simon – Tod Brody, flute – January 2008

 

The title of this piece comes from a Zen Buddhism saying: “Seeing mountain is mountain, water is water.  Seeing mountain is not mountain, water is not water. Seeing mountain is yet again mountain, water is yet again water.”  Written in three movements, Mountain is Mountain was commissioned by San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.  It is dedicated to flutist Tod Brody with much admiration.

"Flicker" – for piano trio

Commissioned by the Triple Helix Piano Trio

 

listen (2'47") | Triple Helix Piano Trio – Wellesley, April 2008

 

This is a three-minute piece written for Triple Helix's 2008 Mozart project.  It includes several quotations from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and works as an extraction of that opera's fantastical liveliness.

"Shadow Chase" – for string quartet

Commissioned by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

 

listen (9'50") | Left Coast Chamber Ensemble – San Francisco, October 2003

 

As part of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble's "Beethoven and His Legacy" project, Shadow Chase was written as a 21st century reflection of Beethoven’s String Quartet in c# minor, op. 131.  The inspiration I draw from Beethoven is often not the technique but mainly the sense of humanity and perseverance that pervades his music.  One of Beethoven’s major late works, op. 131 patiently and steadily evolves from a subdued fugue subject at the opening, and did not fully release the energy until the last movement.  I intend to project a similar kind of subtlety and beauty in Shadow Chase, with an attempt to portray the grace of aging.