OVERTURE for orchestra
Chen Yi
About this work:
Commissioned by the Omaha Area Youth Symphony for the celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2009, conducted by Music
Director Aviva Segall, the work Overture for orchestra is premiered by the Omaha Area Youth Symphony Orchestra in Omaha City on April 26, 2009. The pitch material in the piece is taken from a Chinese folk tune “Baban,” and the structure is based on a kind of Chinese traditional instrumental ensemble music used in ritual ceremony, which features blowing instruments suona (shawn, made with wood) and sheng (free-reed mouth-organ, made with gourd). The music is from slow to fast. The string orchestra provides sheng-like sustained chords in the background while the melodic instruments play in heterophonic style imitating the tunes played by a group of suona players. The music reaches an extremely fast section in a climax, followed by a strong and short coda in a tuitti in unison.
Version: Chamber orchestra
Year composed: 2009
Duration: 00:09:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation:
Instrumentation notes: 2(1 Picc.)-2-2-2; 4-3-3-0; 4Perc., Str.