related works
Sensitivity : for saxophone quartet / Man-Ching Yu Donald
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Saxophone
Scoring:
sax-s sax-a sax-t sax-bar
Euterpe : suite pour 11 instrumentistes, opus 37, 1964 / Luctor Ponse
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Wind ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
2fl 2ob 2cl cl-b 2fg 2h
Wizzards : voor twee solo fluiten en blaasensemble, 1990 / Marcel Baars
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Wind ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
3cl cl-b bug h tb-t tb-b 2fl-solo
Suite du petit prince : pour quatuor à vent, 1973 / Tera de Marez Oyens
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Variable instrumentation; Wind ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
4wind instr
composition
Spring Flowers 春花 : for flute, clarinet and bassoon / Man-Ching Yu Donald
Other authors:
Yu, Donald
(Composer)
Description:
The piece is inspired by the modern Chinese painting “Spring Flowers” by Zhang Guanghai. It opens with a three-note motivic cell introduced solely by the clarinet, soon joined by the flute and bassoon in an imitative manner. Subtle dissonances emerge among the three instruments, while the motivic cell gradually unfolds through rhythmic and intervallic transformations. As the transformed motivic cells are presented by all three instruments, they build toward the first climax, where the music reveals a chromatic net-like texture. Different sets of chromatic cells in each layer interact, generating micropolyphonic effects that reflect the blossoming flowers depicted in the painting. This gesture recurs in the latter part of the piece, culminating in a second climax that saturates at a higher register, providing a striking contrast throughout the composition. Near the end, the music fades away in a mysterious manner. This final section, along with the quiet and dark preliminary segment, captures the profound color effects presented in the painting, contrasting with the vibrant blossoming spring flowers. Additionally, numerous Chinese elements and colors are woven into the composition, contributing to my own developed musical language.