related works
Expansion : for piano / Man-Ching Yu Donald
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Piano
Scoring:
pf
Hard to Hide : for flute, vibraphone and string orchestra / Chiel Meijering
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
fl vib str
Toe the Line (And Yet it Moves) : Version for clarinet, bassoon and piano / Chiel Meijering
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
cl bsn pf
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
fl-a 2fl-b fl-cb perc
composition
The Great Wall 長城 : for clarinet, bassoon and piano / Man-Ching Yu Donald
Other authors:
Yu, Donald
(Composer)
Description:
The music is inspired by the modern Chinese painting The Great Wall by Zhang Guanghai. It opens with broad, low-register, impressionistic gestures that embody the spirit of the Great Wall - profound in history and vast in its physical presence. Soon, the instrumental layers juxtapose contrapuntally, emphasizing the lower register and generating a deep yet colorful tonal palette that reflects the dark, strong lines of the painting. As the piece progresses, all instruments gradually build toward a climax in the central section, where the two woodwind instruments and the piano ascend to their higher registral areas, symbolizing the bright lines depicted in the artwork. Towards the end, the music fades away in a quiet and mysterious manner, echoing the gestures introduced at the beginning. Overall, the composition characteristically fuses Chinese colors with post-tonal modern languages, directly representing the vibrant lines and dynamic gestures found in the painting.