GE XU (ANTIPHONY)
Chen Yi
About this work:
Commissioned by The Women's Philharmonic, San Francisco, during the composer's residency supported by the Meet The Composer New Residencies program started in 1993. The piece is completed in 1994 and premiered in Jan. 28, 1995, and dedicated to Mr. John Duffy, President Emeritus of Meet The Composer.
For celebrating the Chinese lunar New Year or Mid autumn Festival, people of Zhuang minority nationality in Southern China often gather in the field and sing mountain songs in solo, choir or antiphonal forms. In the antiphonal singing, distinct groups or individuals make up the texts in the style of antithetical couplets, as like a competition between the two. The vivid scene has inspired the composer to write music for keeping the high spirit and ideal hope alive. The pitch and rhythmic material in the piece are taken from mountain song and dancing tune of Zhuang, Miao, Yi and Buyi minority nationalities in Southwestern China where I have gone to collect folk music in the early 80th's.
Version: Chamber orchestra
Year composed: 1994
Duration: 00:10:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: Scored for 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 B-flat clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, Timpani , 3 percussionists, harp and strings.