2017 The original “Three Sketches of Mischievous Imps”, was commissioned by the Morningside Music Bridge and premiered by the Morningside Music Bridge String Orchestra (Earl Lee, cond.), at Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA, USA, on 04 August 2017.
“Five Sketches of Mischievous Imps” was premiered by PROTESTRA (Michelle Rofrano, cond.) at St. Paul’s German Church, New York, NY, USA, on 16 December 2023.
DURATION
9-10 minutes
INSTRUMENTATION
String orchestra (violin I & II, viola, cello, double bass)
Three Sketches of Mischievous Imps:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
This work was commissioned for young players in mind (ages 14-18). I therefore decided to compose short fanciful sketches that explore novel sounds that could be drawn from a string orchestra while introducing young players to modern techniques. The 1st movement has the violins and violas performing a mechanical-like texture while each cellist and bassist independently play a re-occurring lyrical theme. The 2nd movement explores “echoing” techniques, where motivic materials are played by the strings in imitative forms with certain notes echoed (repeated and trailed off) by the principal players. The 3rd movement takes a simple theme that is orchestrated in a way that recreates the piano’s sustain pedalling sound. The 4th movement explores the timbral colours of the string orchestra using high-pitched sounds, gestures, and materials. The 5th movement is built on small spirited motifs that are playfully passed around between each section, all while slowly building up to a rich animated fabric. – VH