Chamber Ensemble Chamber
Chamber Ensemble Chamber Ensemble Chinese Folk Songs String Quartet Score and parts 9780193864467 This work, in eight short movements, is based upon Chinese mountain songs, works songs, and popular tunes. Playable either as a unified suite or individually as encores, Zhou Long’s folk song arrangements will appeal equally to younger players, conservatory, students, and professionals. Folk songs mirror peoples daily lives, their thoughts and sentiments, local customs and manners. In China, folk music and songs have traditionally crisscrossed the established boundaries between high and low culture. 16 minutes Cloud Earth Chamber Ensemble fl, cl, pno, perc, vln, vc Score and parts 9780193387249 Inspired by four poems by poets from the Chinese Tang dynasty, this piece directly combines Chinese and Western musical traditions. An undercurrent of tranquil meditation runs through the expressive work. 15 minutes Dhyana Chamber Ensemble fl, cl, pno, vln, vc Score and parts 9780193865082 Dhyana was composed in 1989 and won the 5th International composition Competition in D’Avray 1991. Its inspiration comes from the Buddhist concept of “cultivation of thought” - “dhyana” is the perfect absorption of thought into one object of meditation; the process of gathering scattered thoughts and focusing them to arrive at enlightenment. The musical structure goes from complex to simple in pitch, from dense to relaxed in rhythm, from tight to open in range, from colourful to monochrome in timbre, from foreground to background in sonority, which expresses the change from worldliness to serenity and, finally, to purification. Ding Western instruments cl, perc, db Chinese instruments* cl, zheng, db Score and parts 9780193865099 Score and parts* 9780193404076 The meaning of ‘Ding’ is the perfect concentration of thought into the one object of meditation. Zhou translates this Buddhist concept into concrete musical form by using an abstract-improvisational style and a slow tempo throughout. His thematic elements include a twelve-tone row and a tonal melody, which are treated with a variety of instrumental techniques, including blowing, striking, and bowing the instruments in their full range of pitches. The work combines elements of both Western and Eastern musical traditions. 10 minutes The Five Elements Western instruments sextet version fl/picc, cl, perc, pno, vn, vc Chinese and western instruments* dizi, cl, perc, pno, vn, vc Score and parts 9780193412811 Score and parts on hire 9780193412682 Score and parts* 9780193412828 The concept of the Five Elements was a central aspect of traditional Chinese thought. Here each of the Five Elements is characterised in an individual movement. In the first movement metal is represented by metallic percussion, while in the second movement marimba and claves are used to portray wood. In the third movement a slower and expansive texture is employed to signify water, and rhythmic drumming is used to illustrate the heat of fire, the subject of movement four. A majestic yet peaceful final movement portrays Earth, where all the elements are transformed into a perfect balance. 25 minutes 10 minutes 8
Five Maskers Brass quintet Score and parts 9780193864450 Zhou Long’s realisation of this folk-dance, indigenous to north-east China, has all its kaleidoscopic colour and rhythmic drive, with some brilliant licks for each of the instruments. Scored for brass quintet (trumpet in C doubling piccolo trumpet, trumpet in B flat, horn in F, trombone, tuba), this work is within the technical range of good student groups, and amply repays the attention of professional ensembles. 9 minutes Gazers String quartet Score and parts 9780193805088 This intense work is inspired by a photograph of Zhou Long’s wife Chen Yi face to face with a hawk that had landed near their house. The music is filled with eerie slides and dynamic changes, with a fierce pizzicato section that leads to the work’s climax. 5 minutes Harmony String quartet Score and parts 9780193866126 Harmony for string quartet is a musical summation of three harmonic principles: Peace-Light-Love. The first movement starts with a vigorous five-note chromatic motive, followed by a peaceful harmonic section that gradually develops into a multi-layered chant-like theme. The middle movement is slow and meditative with interweaving tonal melodies while the third movement returns to the opening chromatic motive, slightly altered and played prestissimo. 10 minutes Jin-Shi-Si-Zhu (Metal, Stone, Silk, Bamboo) Dizi or sop sax, fl, cl, vn, vcl, perc Score and parts on hire 9780193865228 In the ancient time of China, Jin-Shi-Si-Zhu (metal, stone, silk, bamboo) were principal instruments in the Music of Tang Court. Influenced by the music form of Tang Da Qu (a grand form of song and dance at the Tang Court), this quartet consists of three parts: (1) San Xu (Prose-Prelude); (2) Zhong Xu (Middle-Prelude); (3) Po (Broaching). 21 minutes Rites of Chimes Cello & Western & Chinese instruments vc, winds, perc, pipa, zheng, erhu Score and parts on hire 9780193863590 Rites of Chimes was jointly commissioned by the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution and Music From China, Inc. with public funds from the Individual Artists Program of the New York State Council on the Arts and Meet the Composer Fund. 75 minutes Secluded Orchid Violin, cello, piano Score and parts 9780193865181 Secluded Orchid is based on the guqin melody, “You Lan in the Mode of Jie Shi,” the oldest extant music for this ancient stringed instrument (a plucked seven-string member of the zither family). The work evokes the original character and moods of guqin music-dark anger, melancholy, tranquillity, and exhilaration. 10 minutes Song of the Ch’in String quartet Score and parts 9780193865075 The ‘ch’in’ is a traditional Chinese seven-stringed, plucked zither, which was associated with sages and scholars. The sophisticated technique of ‘ch’in’ playing involves various ways of plucking the strings, as well as range, timbre and the use of ornaments. In this composition for string quartet, Zhou Long captures the essence of these special musical gestures frequently found in ‘ch’in’ music. 9 minutes Spirit of Chimes Violin, cello, piano Score and parts 9780193864122 Inspired by the sounds of ancient Chinese instruments, Zhou Long has recreated an ancient ritual ensemble using a modern chamber configuration. This uniquely beautiful sound-world is riveting to audiences; this piece is a perfect introduction for players. 12 minutes Chamber Ensemble 9
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