Saxophone
Serendipity, Grievance, and Entanglement: A Diorama of Lu Zhai Lang (2024)
|
This piece is commissioned by and written for my dear friend, Ma Xin.
It was premiered by Ma Xin at the Asian Classical Music Initiative 2024 Conference, Los Angeles. Written for solo alto saxophone and electronics, this composition pays tribute to Lu Zhai Lang, a theatrical work in the Yuan Dynasty authored by Guan Hanqing who was a prominent literary figure of the 13th century. Lu Zhai Lang weaves a compelling narrative about a corrupt official who abuses his authority and, in the end, faces the consequences of his actions. At the core of this composition lies an endeavor to reinterpret the lone surviving original score of Lu Zhai Lang. Featured with musical palindrome and a modern use of the Chinese pentatonic sonority, the new composition highlights the enduring themes of love and entanglement, as well as allegorical nuances found in Guan Hanqing's original work. Many bird calls of Chinese native species are reenacted with just the mouthpiece of the saxophone as metaphors of different emotions. The saxophone and the live electronics of the last movement recites a musical poem of Feng Ru Song (风入松, "the wind brushes the pines"), the rhyming scheme that governed the original score. The interplay between the saxophone and electronics invites the audience to explore the emotional, moral, and societal dimensions embedded within this age-old theatrical work, offering an engaging window into the historical significance of the Yuan Dynasty era. |
Performed by MA Xin at ACMI 2024 Conference
Photo credit: Samuel Alejandro Lazo Garcia |
