About this work:
Chen Yi
Song of Spring Outing for Solo Piano [6’] (2022)
Chen Yi’s Song of Spring Outing for solo piano is commissioned by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) and the Asian Classical Music Initiative (ACMI) at the University of Kansas (KU) in 2022 for Dr. Yi-Yang Chen to give world premiere on 3/30/2023.
The piano solo work was inspired by an ancient Chinese poem with the same title, Song of Spring Outing written by Wang Ya in Tang Dynasty:
Ten thousand apricot trees by the riverside,
Spring flowers bloom after the wind at night.
Covered over the garden, colors dark and light,
Mirrored in the green water ripples.
(English translation by Chen Yi)
In the opening phrase of the piano solo work Song of Spring Outing, I introduced the signature interval, the leap of seventh found in Beijing Opera fiddle’s language, followed by a melodic material with major second and perfect fourth in pentatonic style as my thematic materials. The materials were brought back in the coda section (Rehearsal F) in a retrograded form of the introduction at the climatic end of the piece. It’s like to take us to walk through a beautiful garden with layers of colorful trees and flowers, which are mirrored in the green water.
The music form is a combination of variations on thematic materials, and a rondo. After the introduction section, Rehearsal A introduced an improvisational-like mountain song singing melody (developed from the pentatonic material in the introduction). Rehearsal B brought in a
lively texture in short grouping with staccato in both hands (using the seventh leap interval introduced in the opening of the piece).
Rehearsals C and D developed the pentatonic melody (introduced in the introduction) and the mountain song singing melody (introduced in Rehearsal A) with more layers in texture. Rehearsal E developed the material presented in Rehearsal B with an extended range in two ends of the keyboard, which increased the freshness and excitement.