Gift
(2019) | 9 minutes
Commissioned by The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
SCORING 3(picc) . 3(corA) . 3(Bs.Cl) . 3(cbn) / 4331 / timp / 3 perc: xylophone, glockenspiel, snare drum, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, bass drum / hp / pno / str
Reduced scoring available 2222 / 4231 / timp. / 2 perc. / hp / str.
PREMIERE 27 September 2019, Shanghai Symphony Concert Hall, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Long Yu, conductor
US PREMIERE 28 January 2020, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, New York.
New York Philharmonic
Long Yu, conductor
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©Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. All Rights Reserved.
Programme Note
I consider Gift something of a homecoming. As I began a residency with the Shanghai Symphony, I wanted to create a reminder of the joy of music making, and along the way explore my own musical identity after 18 years of living abroad. The title, “Gift” (礼献), came from a poem titled “Music as a Gift of Decency” by Shen Yue from the Northern and Southern dynasties (ca. 400).
The piece is shaped around a folky 4-note motif, which rises and falls against a large orchestral palette throughout its 9-minute duration. In a nutshell, this is my gift to fellow musicians.
Gift was commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony and Music Director Long Yu for the opening of the orchestra’s 140th concert season. The New York Philharmonic conducted by Long Yu gave the US premiere of the work on 28 January 2020 at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York.
—Zhou Tian
周 天（1981-）
《礼献》（2019）
时长：9 分钟
“神宫肃肃。天仪穆穆。礼献既同。膺兹厘福。…”
（沈约《梁雅乐歌·献雅》）
《礼献》从沈约的乐府诗中有感而发，力图用五音繁会的音乐语言来展现当今交响乐团无穷的张力——从壮阔到婉约，从中国民族音调的应用到现代和声与强烈节拍的结合。作品由上海交响乐团和音乐总监余隆在乐团建立140周年之际委约 。今天，愿我们通过音乐再现那令人心旌摇曳的艺术梦想。—周 天
“纽约爱乐乐团上演了由华裔作曲家周天创作的一部精彩绝伦的新作。该作品有着简洁、精美的音乐陈述，却充满了惊喜。 指挥家余隆对乐队紧密的调控与周天对管弦乐色彩高超的掌握相匹配，使这场演出成为了雅俗共赏和出色写作的成功典范。” —Jon Sobel, Blogcritics 乐评
Reviews
“The [New York] Philharmonic presented the U.S. premiere of a spectacular new piece by Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian…If it hadnʼt been positioned as a curtain-raiser, Zhouʼs Gift would have been a show-stopper. The orchestra came out with all guns firing in this cinematically exciting piece that punched (to torture a metaphor) well above its eight-minute weight.
A fanfare introduction explodes into jazz-age fireworks, giving way to a short lyrical legato section crowned by a golden French horn melody. Dissonant cross-currents among the strings and winds lead back to a thoughtful echo of the opening fanfare, climaxing with toccata-like thrills.
The piece sustains a concise, beautifully ordered narrative, yet is full of surprises. Long Yuʼs tightly focused direction matched Zhouʼs mastery of the colors of the orchestra, turning the performance into a triumph of musical universality as well as fine writing.”
—Jon Sobel, Blogcritics
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