Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs
(2012) | 10 minutes
Commissioned by The Curtis Institute of Music for Curtis on Tour
SCORING guitar, violin, viola, and cello
PREMIERE Jason Vieaux, guitar; Nadir Khashimov, violin; Roberto Díaz, viola; Eric Han, cello. 25 January 2012, Field Concerto Hall, the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA.
Watch
“On Stage at Curtis” – PBS WHYY. Jason Vieaux, guitar; Nadir Khashimov, violin; Roberto Díaz, viola; Eric Han, cello
Programme Note
Mountains and cliffs have long been major subjects in Chinese art, often conveying expressiveness and poignancy through watercolor and sparse, evocative words, with poetry frequently accompanying the paintings. In Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs, I sought to create sounds that reflect these qualities. The combination of guitar and strings offers a unique blend of delicacy and color, capturing the spirit and energy of these mystical landscapes. The work, consisting of two movements, begins with a lyrical meditation, followed by a fast and playful finale.
©Zhou Tian
Reviews
“Red Trees, Wrinkled Cliffs is a lot of fun to hear, and looked like fun to play too. It asks the musicians to emulate Chinese folk instruments and recall traditional Chinese melodies and scales, all set amid lush Western classical harmonies.
With apparent ease Mr. Díaz drew from his viola the spirit of an erhu. The score calls on all four instruments to use nontraditional techniques to evoke the sound world of Chinese folk. Filled with equal parts flow and anxiety, it was a surprising delight.”
—Jon Sobel, Blogcritics