World Premiere: February 7, 2007.
Taipei Chinese Orchestra conducted by Kuo Keng-wei, Saxophone: Yen
Ching-hsien
Commissioned by the
Musix Company Limited, this work was originally written for alto saxophone
and symphonic band and completed in December 2005, Taipei. Written in
one-movement-form, this concerto is one of Chung's most impressive works,
opening in parlando-rubato
saxophone cadenza and orchestra members' rhythmic shouting based on renowned
Yellow River Boatman's Song The Winding Yellow River through an
expressive Liaoning Province folksong Moon in Midnight . Many
extended techniques such as multiphonics, flutter-tonguing, tongue-slap,
bisbigliando, and altissimo are used extensively in the last section to
build the concerto to a climactic ending.
Commissioned by
saxophonist Yen Ching-hsien, the composer in January 2007 transcribed this
concerto for Chinese orchestra.
The Super
Dimension City Walls
RealAudio demo
World Premiere: June 11, 2004.
Taipei Chinese Orchestra conducted by Chen Chung-sen
Commissioned
for the celebration of the 120th anniversary of
the founding of Taipei City. Taipei
City Wall was built from January 1882 to November 1884 in Qing Dynasty
reigned by Guangxu emperor. There are five
gates in the city wall, which is also different from other walls that have
four or eight gates. The gates were designed as closed blockhouses so that
they could defend cannons. This piece is written
for tuned bronze-bell set and Chinese orchestra. There are five bronze-bell
solo passages in the piece symbolizing the five gates of the city wall and
120 fundamental notes are struck throughout the piece on the large bells in
the lower layer. This piece was completed in May 2004 and first performed by
the Taipei Chinese Orchestra conducted by Chen Chung-shen. The bronze-bell set used in
this concert is a replica of the set unearthed
from the fifth century B.C. tomb of Marquis Zeng Yi
in Hubei Province in 1978. The
original set weighs 2,500 kilogram and consists of 65 pieces - the biggest
bell is 152cm high and 204kg and the smallest 20cm long and 3kg. They are
suspended on three ordered fames and divided into eight groups. Each bell
can produce two different tones when struck at the center and the outer
edge.
Traces du
vent
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: November 8, 2002.
The National Experimental Chinese Orchestra conducted by Qu chunquan
Commissioned by the
NCO for the French tour in 2002, “Traces du vent” was completed in the
summer of 2002 in Taipei. This piece is written for a small Chinese chamber
ensemble consisting of wind instruments: Di, Sheng, Guan; plucked string
instruments: Liuqin, Yangqin, Pipa, Guozheng, Sanxian; bowed string
instruments: Guohu, Erhu, Cello, Double-bass; and two percussionists.
The piece is bi-partite. The first section lacks the concept of beat in
Western terms. The elaborate and subtle change of timbre is the essential
quality of this section. On the contrary, the second section is constructed
upon continuous 16th notes performed by the plucked instruments;
therefore, the tone color change is minimal. The rhythm now is vivid and
this section is like a dance of the wind.
The World of Chinese Painting
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the following buttons
World Premiere: March 24,
2002. The National Experimental Chinese Orchestra conducted by Qu chunquan
A 28-minute works
based on 9 Chinese paintings of different epochs ranging from the Neolithic Era to the 20th Century.
1. Neolithic Fresco Apollo Sacrifice, 2. Wang Wei (701 - 761) of Tang Dynasty: Yangtze River in Snow，3. Dunhuang Fresco of Tang Dynasty: The Holy Bible of Eternity; 4. Guo Xi (1020 - 1109) of Song Dynasty: The Early Spring，5. Zhang Zeduan (1085 - 1145) of Song Dynasty: Qingming Festival by the River，6. Qi Baishi (1864 - 1957) : The Bug on a Shell-shaped Leaf，7. Wang Binhong (1865 - 1955): The View of Xiling, 8. Xu Beihong (1895 - 1953): A Galloping Horse，9. Zhang Daqian (1899 - 1983): Before the Heavy Rain.
Hearing the Stream for Soprano Saxophone, Erhu, Guozheng, Sanxian, and
Percussion
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: July 21, 2001.
Christian Wirth & Shao Ensemble
An experimental work
commissioned by Diapason Saxophone Quartet in 2000. It demonstrates
a colorful blend of the western and Chinese compositional techniques and
timbres.
The Eternal
City for Chinese Orchestra
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: March 10,
2000 at
the City Hall Concert Hall, Hong Kong. Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
The
Eternal City was
completed in December 1999, Taipei.
Incessant change, rapid and multifarious, yet smooth and imperceptible,
just like Hong
Kong’s
history and city life, is the main characteristic of this piece. The
modernization of Hong
Kong
has not prevented it from retaining its Chinese tradition. The towering
skyscrapers, traditional sampans, and the KCR clock tower--the most
unforgettable symbols of the VictoriaHarbor,
offer a permanent display of harmony between past and future, east and
west.This composition
expresses such an unusual co-existence of two cultures in many directions:
element that is metrical along with ametrical, tonal with atonal,
traditional musical phraseology with avant-garde dissonant sound mass, and
natural instrumental physicality with intellectual “orchestration.” It
is thus expected that such integration of western contemporary
compositional technique and traditional Chinese sound elements could
establish a new sound horizon and musical identity.
Drumming No. 4
for 6 Percussionists
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: March 31, 1998 at
the National Theater, Recital Hall, Taipei. Percussion
Ensemble of the National Taiwan College of Arts.
When I first heard the
performances given by Onkedoza from Japan and Jiangzhou Drum Troupe from
Shanxi Province, China during my formative years, I was excited and
stimulated by their spiritual approach to drumming and the performances'
energetic outbreak. In some ways, Drumming No. 4 is the repayment
of this longstanding debt. While given the opportunity to compose a
percussion piece for the Ensemble Orientalia ofTaipei, I wanted to display
the spiritual power of the Oriental drumming rhythms brought out by a
timbrally heterogeneous drumming ensemble. This piece may be imagined as a
process of culmination of polyphonic forces generated by metrically
regulated and chaotic, unmetrical rhythms operating on different, but
simultaneously unfolding levels.
Music for A New
Millennium
To play the 1st movement demo, click the right button
World Premiere: October 23, 1999 at the
National Concert Hall, Taipei. Experimental Chinmese Orchestra
conducted by Qu chunquan
A new work in
3 movements for large Chinese orchestra commissioned by the Experimental
Chinese Orchestra in 1999 to celebrate the coming of a new millennium.
Sui Gu Zhi II
for
2 Percussion Soloists, Ancient Tuned Bronze-Bell-Set, and Chinese
Orchestra
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: June 20, 1999 at the Sun
Yat Sen Memorial Hall, , Taipei. Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra
conducted by Chung-Sen Chen
The second version of Sui
Gu Zhi , a single-movement work for 2 percussionists and large
Chinese orchestra commissioned by the Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra
in 1998. The form and orchestration are inspired by the Tang
Dynasty court music. A special parts for ancient tuned
bronze-bell-set (played by 5 players) is added.
Sui Gu Zhi for 2
Percussion Soloists and Chinese Orchestra
RealAudio demo
World Premiere: September 3, 1998 at the
National Concert Hall, Taipei. Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra
conducted by Chung-Sen Chen
A single-movement work
for 2 percussionists and large Chinese orchestra commissioned by the
Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra in 1998. The form and
orchestration are inspired by the Tang Dynasty court music.
This work consists of three sections: The first section is an
introduction features percussion section. The second section is very
lyrical and emphasizes on soloists' graceful body movement. The
third is an energetic vivace section. This work is concluded
with the original melody taken from the last piece "Sui Gu Zhi" from the
Dunhuang Music for Pipa edited by Ye Dong.
Mountain Ritual for
Sanxian and 4 Cellos
To play its
RealAudio demo, click the right button
World Premiere: December 6, 1998 at the
National Theater, Recital Hall Taipei. Experimental Chinese Orchestra.
Sanxian: Pi-ching Yao,
A challenging piece for solo
sanxian accompanied by 4 cellos. This piece is now included in the
15th Anniversary CD set of the Experimental Chinese Orchestra.
String Poem for
Solo Sanxian
RealAudio demo
World Premiere: December 6, 1998 at the
National Theater, Recital Hall Taipei. Sanxian: Pi-ching Yao,
A solo piece for sanxian of
great virtuosity, about 10 minutes long.
Jiang Jun Ling for
Pipa, Erhu, Sanxian, Bamboo Flute, and 2 Percussionists
Real lAudio demo
World Premiere: June, 1996 at the
National Theater, Recital Hall Taipei. Ensemble Orientalia of
Taipei
A 8-minute piece for Chinese
chamber ensemble based on the well-known ancient Pipa piece Jiang Jun
Ling.
