Over the Desolation of Wildness Caresses the April Breeze
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Abstract
Over the Desolation of Wildness Caresses the April Breeze is a music composition that serves as an artistic response to the theme of pacifism, drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese philosophy and the ongoing chaos caused by contemporary international conflicts. This work progresses through five movements, structured in an arch form that journeys from disturbing undercurrents of the opening, pushes to a climactic middle section, and resolves to a serene and peaceful ending. The evolving characteristics of these movements shape the narrative of the piece through the brewing tension of conflict, its outbreak and aftermath, to the ultimately culminating in the ending of war toward enduring peace. Inspired by Riemannian harmonic dualism, this piece expands two traditional Chinese pentatonic scales into nonatonic modes. For instance, the original pentatonic mode–comprising C, D, E, G, and A–is expanded into a nonatonic scale consisting of E♭, F, A♭, B♭, C, D, E, G, and A, with C as its center and point of symmetry. These nonatonic scales serve as the harmonic foundation and offer a rich palette for pitch materials. The instrumentation, an octet featuring flute, clarinet in B-flat, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, piano and percussion, accentuates the rich textural landscape of the work and characteristics of each movement. Over the Desolation of Wildness Caresses the April Breeze is a blend of historical reflection and personal musical creation. It aims not only to evoke the contemplation on the nature of war and justice but also to engage in dialogue with the language of contemporary music.
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Program notes -- Instrumentation -- Performance notes -- Music score
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D.M.A. (Doctor of Musical Arts)