Commissioned work by Vancouver’s Sound of Dragon Society for a mixed ensemble of Chinese and Western instruments.
This composition is inspired by the Four Dragons Tale of China. In Chinese culture, Dragons are symbols of supreme power and good fortune. I am particularly fascinated about the relationship between dragons and humans told in this ancient Chinese folklore, their ability in controlling nature and people over thousands of years. This nine minutes composition has 4 connecting short movements, telling a story about four virtuous dragons saving the world from drought by scooping up sea water and sprayed rain from heaven. Their noble deed infuriated the Jade Emperor, and eventually banished themselves to form China’s four great rivers - the Hellongjian 黑龍江in the North, the Yellow River in central China, the Yantze River and the Pearl River in the South. This circlet of Chinese and Wesytern instruments provides an exotic sound world of unusual colors and timbre. The music evolved from the atmospheric ceremonial first movement, and heightened the energy in the forthcoming movements with distinct rhythmic and melodic ideas. Combining intense drumming, strumming techniques, microtonal effects, and folk style vocalization, I hope to sparks the imaginary characters of the dragons and voices of human, and engage the audience in an ancient magical world.
I also like to take the opportunity to thank Tung Lan, an incredible musicians and artistic director of the Dragon Society and the musicians of Singapore’s Ding Ying Music Company for their dedication to learn this challenging work.