ANCIENT BEAUTY, THE
Chen Yi
About this work:
Co-commissioned by the New Philadelphia Classical Symphony (Artistic Director Karl Middleman) and Montgomery County Community College as part of the series of programs, China and the Allure of the Orient, presented with generous support from the Philadelphia Music Project, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by the University of the Arts, for the New Philadelphia Classical Symphony and Music From China, my composition The Ancient Beauty was premiered on 4/21/06 in Philadelphia with the first two movements: I. The Bronze Taotie; and II. The Clay Figurines. The work is a musical realization of my impression on the ancient Chinese art: the bronze taotie of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-c.1027), and the clay figurines of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.).
Performance notes:
Dizi and Xun: Small Dizi in D, and Medium Xun in F.
Erhu tuning: d1 and a1.
Pipa tuning in the first 2 movements: A sharp, d sharp, e, a; in the 3rd mvt: A, d, e, a.
Zheng tuning: D, E, G, A, B flat, c sharp, e, f sharp, a, b, d1, e1, g1, a1, c2, e flat 2, f2, a flat 2, b2, c3, e3.
Under the request by Prof. Xu Yang of the Central Conservatory of Music, the work was adapted for ruan ensemble, zheng, and string orchestra, premiered in Sept. 2011 in Beijing, China.
Version: Chinese instruments and string orchestra (Alt. version for ruan ensemble, zheng and string orchestra)
Year composed: 2006
Duration: 00:12:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:String Orchestra with Soloist(s)
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Dizi (+Xun), Erhu, Pipa, Zheng, and String Orchestra