MOMENTUM
Chen Yi
About this work:
Commissioned by the Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University in 1997, Momentum is dedicated to the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Hajime Teri Murai, and premiered at Peabody Symphony Orchestra's New York debut concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on May 2, 1998. The composition was inspired by the power of the ancient totems, the tension of the breathing lava (before it breaks up to flow), and the gesture of the exaggerated dancing lines in Chinese calligraphy. This energetic, dramatic and forceful calligraphy made such a deep impression on me that I wanted to translate it into music, as a metaphor for the flourish contemporary music is making in our new society.
Version: Full orchestra
Year composed: 1998
Duration: 00:13:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Standard Orchestra
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: 333 4331 Hp. 4 Perc. Str . Theodore Presser Company Rental [416-41184]