related works
Four Expressive Poems - 四⾸抒情詩 : for soprano and piano / Man-Ching Yu Donald; poem by Wong Kin Kwok
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and piano
Scoring:
sop pf
Divertimento : for oboe or flute and string trio / Henk van der Vliet
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
ob/fl vn vla vc
Keitaku ("Blessing") : for shakuhachi / Rokus de Groot
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
shakuhachi
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
sax-a mar/vibr el.g-b cemb synth
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.