Program Notes

Relapse (2016)
Peter Shin (b. 1991)

In 2012, a series of lapses in psyche confronted me with the two halves of my Korean-American identity, both of which–at the time–felt alien to me. Today, I am educating myself on the collective origins of Asian America and strive for a deeper understanding of my Korean ancestry.

The initial melody of Relapse is derived from the minor pentatonic scales, the major counterpart of which makes up for the building blocks of the most famous Korean folk song, “Arirang,” inscribed–for it’s preservation– on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Although pleasant to the ears, this tune is anthem of abandonment and tremendous lament, highlighted by drawing out the original dance-like 3/4 meter over a more stately and solemn quasi-4/4 meter. Although the central idea of Relapse, the melody makes only one incomplete and wildly-interrupted iteration of following a series of rhythmic shifts within a rigid tempo, illustrating the grief behind the text, and the wave of doubts that for years would constantly disrupt my sense of belonging.

“My dear–who discarded me here–cannot walk ten li* before their feet burn.”
– translated verse from “Arirang,” Korean folk song, Anonymous

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      –Peter Shin

Tales–A Folklore Symphony (2021)
Carlos Simon (b. 1986)
[West Coast Premiere]

I. MOTHERBOXX CONNECTION

“Where are all the black people in comics?” This is a question posed by the creative duo Black Kirby (John Jennings and Stacey Robinson). Base heavily in Afrofuturism, Black Kirby’s characters show black people as heroes using ancient customs and futurist motifs from the African and African American diaspora. This piece is inspired by the man heroic characters found in the work of Black Kirby, but mainly Motherboxx Connection. (Black Kirby: In Search of the Motherboxx Connection)

According to scholar Regina N. Bradley, Motherboxx Connection is a “pun on Jack Kirby’s motherbox, a living computer connected to the world, the Motherboxx too is a living computer with a heightened awareness of racial and sexual discourses surrounding the black body. The motherboxx is the technological equivalent of the ‘mother land’ in the black diaspora imagination. She is where black identities merge and depart.”

To represent the power and intelligence of the motherboxx, I have composed a short, fast-moving musical idea that constantly weaves in and throughout the orchestra. A majestic, fanfare-like motif also provides the overall mood of strength and heroism. I imagine the motherboxx as an all-knowing entity that is aware of the multi-faceted aspects of blackness. 

II. FLYING AFRICANS

Once all Africans could fly, but lost their ability once they crossed the Atlantic Ocean as enslaved humans. This story tells how one African maintained the ability and secretly passed the gift to others. The Negro Spiritual, “Steal Away” is referenced in the woodwinds, as well as the cello section, while the upper strings hover effortlessly in the higher register.

Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus
Steal away, steal away home
I ain’t got long to stay here

III. GO DOWN MOSES (Let my People Go)

The Jewish biblical story of the Plagues of Egypt resonated with the enslaved and they created songs that related to this story of bondage. While the horrific plagues that swept across Egypt are compelling in and of itself, the focus of this piece is recounted from the perspective of the stubborn Pharaoh, who unwillingly loosens his grip on the enslaved people. Pharaoh’s hardened heart is conveyed through two sharp, accented chords. The spirit of God, represented by light, heavenly, metallic sounds from the percussion, signal the beginning of each new plague. Frogs, pestilence, and sickness are not enough to break the Pharaoh’s will. It is only with the “Angel of Death”, who takes the life of Pharaoh’s first-born child, represented by dark, brooding harmonies, that he relents in despair. The orchestral texture grows thinner and thinner as Pharaoh loathes in emotional anguish. The once prideful Pharaoh is now broken down to a powerless whimper. I use the Negro Spiritual, “Let My People Go (Go Down Moses)” as a musical framework throughout this movement.

Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell ol’ Pharaoh to
Let my people go!
When Israel was in Egypt land Let my people go!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand Let my people go!

IV. JOHN HENRY

The story of John Henry is traditionally told through the work song, each with wide-ranging and varying lyrics. The well-known narrative ballad of “John Henry” is essentially the battle between man versus machine. Enslaved/prisoners would usually sing the story more slowly and deliberately, often with a pulsating beat suggestive of swinging the hammer. These songs usually contain the lines “This old hammer killed John Henry/ but it won’t kill me.” Writer Scott Nelson explains that: “… workers managed their labor by setting a ‘stint’, or pace, for it. Men who violated the stint were shunned….Here was a song that told you what happened to men who worked too fast: they died ugly deaths; their entrails fell on the ground. You sang the song slowly, you worked slowly, you guarded your life, or you died.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  –Carlos Simon

Water Sings Fire (2018)
Andrea Reinkemeyer (b. 1976)

Water Sings Fire for Orchestra was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Carlos Miguel Prieto conducted the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for the premiere performances at the Orpheum Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 2019.

The piece draws inspiration from Leigh Bardugo’s short story, When Water Sang Fire–a feminist origin myth to the Hans Christian Andersen classic, The Little Mermaid–in which themes of ambition and betrayal are explored allegorically through Ulla’s transformation from obscure mermaid to tempestuous sea witch.

With nimble precision, Ulla manipulates the mer-music’s magical properties–a show of power irresistible to an ambitious prince whose lack of natural talent drives his relentless pursuit of the throne. In the end, Ulla’s ability to transform wishes into reality rewards the treachery of the young prince, and it costs her everything.

The loss of her voice, friend, and form illustrates the degradation of her true source of personal power. Desperate to survive, Ulla uses a magical mirror to amplify her weakened voice with the support of “all these broken, betrayed girls” reflected in the mirror. Together, they build a song of storm magic to pull apart the prince’s ill-begotten prize.

Bardugo writes that following Ulla’s descent, she clutches her memories, and “…held each sorrow like a chafing grain of sand, and grew her grudges like pearls.”

While this piece does not strictly adhere to the narrative arc of the story, its episodic form strings together grievances, while Ulla, who frets in the deep, waits for the “lonely, the ambitious, the clever, the frail, for all those willing to strike a bargain. She never waits long.”

Like the story, the sparse textures of the opening moments conjure the barren lands stripped of life by Ulla’s storm, and slowly builds with the sorrow of each painful memory re-lived. The themes resonate with societal changes that challenge our nation ­– as we strive to give voice to the wronged and the disenfranchised. The work is dedicated, with hope and with gratitude, to “women who sing truth though the world rains fire upon them.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    –Andrea Reinkemeyer

The Tears of Nature (2012)
Tan Dun (b. 1957)

I wrote this piece for my dear friend, a true percussion artist, Martin Grubinger. Upon conclusion of this work I made a video demonstration for Martin, sharing the methods I used to draw out the many colors of percussion, using the video to show the unique techniques such as finger flicking, rubbing, scraping etc. While composing I thought about nature and focused on the passion of Martin Grubinger.

Nature is the only suitable illustrator for the richness of percussion sounds and instruments. Nature does not just represent four seasons in a year, it also can depict the many animals it holds such as lions or tigers, animals that can take on many forms, that can be beautiful, threatening, friendly or loving. My Percussion Concerto is divided into three movements, each one representing a different color of nature; the color of nature’s thunder, the color of nature’s passion and the color of nature’s energy – each united with the human spirit.

The first movement, Threat of Nature, was prompted by my unforgettable memories and the unbearable, instantaneous loss of thousands, during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.Threat of Nature is depicted using the timpani, which shows both the gentle and explosive power of nature. The transformation from the beginning of the movement to end employs various techniques on the timpani, from large mallets to finger flicking, symbolizes the taming of nature. This movement honors all spirits touched by the brutal force of nature in 2008.

The second movement, Tears of Nature, was born as I watched the enormously heart-wrenching live broadcast of the tsunami in Japan on television. For every inhale of the tsunami waves – how many lives vanished? For every exhale how many spirits were washed away? I believe after nature’s brutality must come nature’s regret, it’s tears. The tragedy of the tsunami is represented by a sorrowful marimba solo crying for all of the victims of the tsunami. Tremolos and cascading lines mirror the images of water in nature, nature’s tears: rain, rivers, and oceans.

The third movement, Dance of Nature, comes from my awe and affection for New York City and its residents. I love New York because it does not believe in wallowing in tears. After Hurricane Sandy all of lower Manhattan and many others were without power, but New Yorkers never lost their energy and confidence. Dance of Nature uses assorted percussion instruments, all placed in a circle. Shadowing the first two movements, I bring their motives back and mix them with the new melodies introduced. The motives dance together causing the percussionist, in turn to whirl around within the circle of percussion instruments symbolizing both nature and the human spirit dancing together – reminding me of New York and its ability to keep cheerful in spirits and dance even while suffering from loss – the spirit of New York is always strong.

Although the three movements in this concerto about three natural disasters in different cities, they all share in the same memory, one where the human spirit stays strong. This concerto commemorates human spirit as it lives, fights and dances with nature.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            –Tan Dun