“Mr. Zhou’s roughly 20-minute ‘Transcend’ is divided into three distinct sections, each of which evokes some aspect of the railroad, its construction or its history. The first movement, ‘Pulse,’ opens lushly then turns more ominous, with a pulsing, motoric momentum. Bursts of percussion and brasses suggest dynamite blasts; a suspended cymbal, a train bell. Opening with a flute, the ‘Promise’ section brings to mind China, but the music soon effectively blends the sounds of East and West with a tinge of nostalgia. ‘D-O-N-E,’ the finale, is propulsive, its title taken from the Morse code signal, rendered on the trumpet here, that was sent as the final spikes were driven and the railroads connected. The movement’s concluding hell-for-leather fanfare naturally brought the nearly full house at Abravanel Hall roaring to its feet.

“Works like…Mr. Zhou’s orchestral piece accomplish two important things: They remind us of how we got from there to here, and they refine that history by paying belated tribute to contributors who might otherwise be forgotten.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“The third movement, ‘D-O-N-E,’ in a stroke of genius, used the Morse code for the word “done” to compose a rhythmic motive that would unify the rest of the composition…The audience approved of the premiere with a standing ovation.”
—Omaha World-Herald