Tuesday Night New Music: Kerr, Mincarelli, Xu, Ho, Chapman, Akinyanmi, Sang, Wu, Cao

Samuel Kerr | Horizons Yet Unknown (2021)

Quiet Inevitabilities
     Interlude
Halcyon Days

Program note

Horizons Yet Unknown explores a complex concept; the knowledge of impending, unavoidable loss before it happens. Not necessarily relating to mortality, but the natural cycle of meaningful people passing in and out of our lives. This piece was originally written during a period of intense change in my life through the spring of 2023, and subsequently reworked upon my arrival in Boston from Canada for this premiere.
       Quiet Inevitabilities opens with an austere and uncertain piano flourish that morphs into the central idea of the entire piece; a 9-bar passacaglia, twisting and turning throughout the ensemble towards an explosive collapse at the end of the movement. This movement portrays the ever-present knowledge of future loss; watching a date on a calendar draw inexorably nearer, dismissing it, fighting it, and eventually coming to some level of acceptance.
       Following a brief and reflective interlude, Halcyon Days closes the work; in this movement, I tried to capture the feeling of looking around and realizing you’re in one of the ‘good times’ of life – part of this realization is also knowing that these halcyon days will end. While not quite ‘bittersweet’, it does tinge the memories being made right now; for me, there is almost a sepia glaze to what is happening, as if current events are being recorded on old film. There is an urge to hold on to current moments with both hands and never let go, to try and preserve the happiness in a bottle forever. The fact that this is impossible is a surprisingly difficult thing to grasp, and something I am currently figuring out myself. But, as I have learned, the very temporality of these moments that makes them bittersweet is what gives them meaning in the first place.
         All that to say, Horizons Yet Unknown is a highly personal and honest exploration of change through experiencing loss and joy.                    
– Samuel Kerr

Samuel Mincarelli | Le soleil s'est couché (2023)

Program note

I composed this piece during my attendance of the 2022 Summer Classical Studies program hosted by the Eastman School of Music. There I learned about phrase structure and microform, ideas I incorporated into my music. The lyrical material is Victor Hugo’s “Le soleil s’est couché”. The poem did not inspire my composition; rather, I knew I wanted to compose a short vocal piece set to a small poem. A French poem about a sunset aesthetically matched the style of my piece, inspiring my choice..                                                                                                               
 – Samuel Mincarelli

Yangfan Xu | We Outgrow Love Like Other Things (2022)

Roses and Rue
Prelude
Nobody Knows This Little Rose
I Held a Jewel in My Fingers
We Outgrow Love Like Other Things

Program note

This song cycle selects four poems from Emily Dickinson and two poems from Oscar Wilde to present different views from male and female poets on similar topics - love, death, and memories.                                                                                      
– Yangfan Xu

Jyun-Rong Ho | The Dance of Life (electronic version) (2023)

Program note

In stillness, the void unveils the unknown,
Auroras gradually grow, weaving life’s steps shown.
The shimmering twilight adds splendor to decay,
Dawn’s reappearance counts truths that forever stay.

Creative Concept:
The concept behind this composition is to explore the journey of life and the imagination it brings about through music. The sections of the work are arranged in the sequence of death, growth, decay, and rebirth. In the creative process, the versatility and diversity of electronic sound are employed to convey a personal interpretation of life at various stages.           
– Jyun-Rong Ho

Coco Chapman | Soulful Suite (2023)

Lyrical
Dance
Pensive
Struggling
Persistent; Generous

Program note

When I found out that my roommate was going to be a violinist, I knew I had to write a piece for her, especially since I was participating in the Bakersfield International Music Festival, a chamber music camp. I hoped that the camp would acquaint me to styles of violin writing so I would know the territory a bit better. Sure enough, on one of the last days of camp, I hummed this suite into my phone. I had originally intended to make this a duet for violin and piano, but when I began notating it, I saw that what few ideas I had composed for the piano part I could just as well integrate into the violin part to add interest to its texture. Overall, I am proud of my work and its modulations at unexpected moments, and I am super grateful that my roommate is bringing this suite to life!                                         
– Coco Chapman

Oluwanimofe Akinyanmi | Arachne (2022)

Program note

Arachne is based on a Greek fable. The original myth tells the story of a young weaver, Arachne, from a small Greek village whose weavings catch the eye of the Goddess Athena. Athena comes down from Olympus, disguised as an old lady to speak with the young woman but is met with conceit and disrespect. This angers Athena, and she reveals her true form to Arachne. Arachne still refuses to respect the goddess, so to settle their dispute, they agree to compete in a weaving challenge to determine who is the best weaver. They meet later to compare their tapestries and though Athena’s is beautiful, it cannot compare to Arachne’s. However, Arachne’s tapestry shows an extremely disrespectful depiction of the Gods of Olympus, and this angers Athena even further, to the point that she strikes Arachne. Out of shame, Arachne hangs herself by a thread. Taking pity on the young girl, Athena gives her new life as a spider, and in the Greek tradition, this is the origin story of the spider. In this composition, the instrumentation was inspired by that of traditional Greek instruments. The flutes take the place of the Greek floghera, and the guitar takes the place of the lyre. The cello takes the place of the Barbiton, a lower variety of lute. The theme that repeats itself during the piece is meant to resemble the process of weaving, and the different stages of the tale present themselves all through.
– Oluwanimofe Akinyanmi

Frank Sang | Typhoon (2019)

Allegro
Andante
Moderato

Program note

This piece has 3 movements. I have tried a new structure in this piece, starting and ending with strong movements and putting the second movement - with lower speed and peaceful dynamics - in the middle.  My former pieces all started and ended with quiet sections. The reason I named this piece Typhoon is because the second movement is calm like the eye of a storm and is surrounded by the powerful first and the last movements.                                                                                            
– Frank Sang

Zining Wu | Shouting in the Drizzle (2023) for String Quartet

Program note

The inspiration for this piece comes from Yu Hua's novel "shouting in the drizzle." When deciding on the title, I was contemplating how to capture the essence of "drizzle" and "shout" through sound and form. It was easy to get the idea of how to describe fine rain. But as for the shout, the initial impression of it is loud and sharp, a sound that carries from a distance. However, I felt that such a description of a shout would be too ordinary. After sharing with my mother about this novel, she felt that the word “shout” is not only expressed by the loud or releasing volume, but it could also be a quiet, unvoiced, or restrained sound, one that wants to release the emotion but doesn't want others to notice. I suddenly had an epiphany that the word "shout" has a dual nature in different situations, just like how the novel emphasizes the individual loneliness through the "lonely and helpless shout" of a woman at the beginning. It goes on to tell the story of the protagonist being given away at the age of six and experiencing the death of his foster father, and so on. His young heart has never found a place to settle. In the end, there is a solitary image of sobbing softly in the drizzle. So I want to use my composition to try to express it as much as possible.
– Zining Wu

Monstar Wanying Cao | Thring (2023)

Program note

Thring: (verb) to press, throng, crush.
这世界总让我觉得拥挤不堪，仿佛窒息。
Thring is a musical journey that explores the concept of extreme overcrowding in both physical and societal dimensions. Divided into two sections, this composition encapsulates the tension experienced in crowded spaces and addresses the challenges women face in a noisy, judgmental world.
        In the first section, Thring immerses us in a crowded but stable acoustic landscape, portraying the intense atmosphere of a densely populated area. Using minimalist techniques and extended string quartet performance, it captures the sensation of navigating through a bustling, noisy crowd.
        The second section features a dynamic conversation between the live string quartet and recorded voices challenging societal stereotypes. It highlights the struggle against societal norms, offering a powerful commentary on the battles faced by women in a crowded world filled with prejudice.                  
– Monstar Wanying Cao