Zhou Long: Wu Ji: Instrumental Work

SKU: PR.110418500

ISBN 9781491137277. UPC: 680160690039.

DUNHU ANG FANTASIA is a fascinating 12-minute drama inspired by art from grottoes in the ancient town of Dunhuang in western China. These frescoes preserve images of music and dance scenes, including the postures and attitudes of performers, and of the musical instruments used. Zhou Long’s music begins with a mysterious introduction driven by drum-like textures, followed by a series of episodes, enhanced by captions of the artwork inspiring each section and evocations of the ancient musical instruments.
Commissio ned and with fingering by Zou Xiang, Dunhuang Fantasia was composed in the fall of 2017. The music was inspired by the art of the Mogaoku grottoes in the ancient town of Dunhuang in western China. The frescoes of the Dunhuang grottos preserve a number of music and dance performance scenes, including images of the postures and attitudes of performers, and of a number of musical instrument types are used.The most popular form of music indigenous to this region is the huar, a folk-song type current among a number of nationalities. The huar is actually a kind of mountain song. Along with huar, Dunhuang pipa qupu (Dunhuang pipa notation) is also an inspiration for elements in this music.The music begins in adagio as a mysterious introduction. The drum-like rhythm patterns beating in the lowest region of the piano, with a muted-string sonority, creates an expanded space to enhance the echoes from the grottos. This is soon followed by the first main section, Cup of Happiness, featuring the huar and Dunhuang pipa melodies along with the dance rhythm. In the next section, Water Drum, the music becomes medium tempo. In the section Dialogue in Presto, the music becomes more active and contrapuntal. The section Tune: Changsha Girl is in a faster tempo as a dance scene. The Coda starts with dense rhythms, and tension is gradually intensified to reach a climax, culminating in a return of the opening section.

SKU: PR.114422590

ISBN 9781491134771. UPC: 680160685493.

Chen Yi describes the cheery interplay of HAPPY TUNE as one instrument playing a lively melody, while the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern as accompaniment. The pair of instruments imitates primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ. One of the composer’s favorite themes to develop for different textures, HAPPY TUNE is a variant from Chen Yi’s Three Bagatelles from China West, both versions appearing in several scorings.
Composed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, HAPPY TUNE was originally written as a violin/viola duet for Kim Kashkashian and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and premiered at the festival on June 16, 2018. The flute/cello adaptation was created in 2021.I fondly remember being invited by the GLCMF (directed by Prof. James Tocco) to be the dual Stone Composers-in-Residence with my husband Zhou Long, along with the Stone Composer Fellow Nicholas Omiccioli in 2011. We had a dozen of our chamber works performed excellently by the outstanding chamber ensembles and musicians during the week, meeting enthusiastic audiences and supporters of new music in various venues at the festival. The experience was truly inspiring, and I created HAPPY TUNE to honor the GLCMF, with hopes to carry on the high spirit in our new music society.In this duet, when one instrument plays a lively melody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instruments imitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.

SKU: PR.114419730

ISBN 9781491132333. UPC: 680160681686. 9 x 12 inches.

Chen Yi describes the cheery interplay of HAPPY TUNE as: “When one instrument plays a livelymelody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instrumentsimitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional windinstrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.” Published as a shared score and extracted parts, and writtenas a celebration piece honoring the 25th anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
Composed to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, my violin and viola duet HAPPY TUNE was written for Kim Kashkashian and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and premiered at the festival on June 16, 2018.I fondly remember being invited by the GLCMF (directed by Prof. James Tocco) to be the dual Stone Composers-in-Residence with my husband Zhou Long, along with the Stone Composer Fellow Nicholas Omiccioli in 2011. We had a dozen of our chamber works performed excellently by the outstanding chamber ensembles and musicians during the week, meeting enthusiastic audiences and supporters of new music in various venues at the festival. The experience was truly inspiring, and I created HAPPY TUNE to honor the GLCMF, with hopes to carry on the high spirit in our new music society.In this duet, when one instrument plays a lively melody, the other plays a vivid rhythmic pattern in the accompaniment. The pair of string instruments imitates the sound of primitive Chinese folk song singing, as well as the Chinese traditional wind instrument sheng, a mouth pipe organ.