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Wen​-​Chung Chou: The Willows Are New

from Dream Dialogues by Misty Shore Duo

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Yang Kuan, a composition for ch’in, the Chinese long zither, was traditionally attributed to Wang Wei (689–759), the poet-painter-musician. Now, however, it is believed to be an adaptation of a movement from I-Chou Ta Ch’u, an orchestral work of the T’ang Dynasty, with Wang Wei’s poem as its text. The poem in my own rendition reads:

In this town by the river,
morning rain
has cleared the light dust.

Green, green around the tavern,
the willows are new.*

Let us empty another cup of wine –

For, once west of Yang Kuai**
There will be no more friends.

( * Sprigs of willow, used in farewell ceremonies, are regarded as a symbol of parting
** Yang Kuan is a mountain pass, known as the point of no return for a traveler.)

In THE WILLOWS ARE NEW (1957), mutations of the original material are woven over the entire range of the piano and embroidered with sonorities that are the magnified reflexes of brushstroke-like movements. The restrained emotion of the poem and the subtle nuances of the ch’in technique are projected and amplified by means of the same principle that marks the art of Chinese calligraphy, wherein the controlled flow of the ink – throught the interaction of rhythm and density, the modulation of line and texture – creates a continuum of motion and tension in spatial equilibrium.

– Wen-Chun Chou

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from Dream Dialogues, released June 20, 2020

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Misty Shore Duo (Chen-Hui Jen & Jacob Sudol) image

Misty Shore Duo (Chen-Hui Jen & Jacob Sudol) Miami, Florida

Composer and performer duo with Dr. Chen-Hui Jen (piano/composition) and Dr. Jacob Sudol (computer/composition).

Dedicated to presenting and promoting contemporary music with any combination of piano and electronics, with a special emphasis on works by Asian, female, and minority composers. ... more

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