Original music composed in memory of some old garden in Nevyansk, Russia

The Old Garden

do not go gentle into that good night

Composed by Jon Lin Chua
Based on poems by Juliane Wald (texts used with permission)

Rag Doll (0:00)
The Intimates (5:53)
The River (8:44)
Snow (11:50)

Mezzo-Soprano: Hailey McAvoy
Flute: Martha Chan
Clarinet: Joey Duncan
Violin: Benjamin Kronk
Cello: Pedro Sánchez
Piano: Alex Yuill

Premiered in Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, on March 26, 2015.

These four songs are based upon four very different poems written by poet Juliane Wald.  "Rag Doll" alludes to the loss of an unborn child.  I have opted to use sparse musical textures to reflect the stark and empty mood, and let the text speak for itself.  "The Intimates" provided plenty of opportunities for dramatic expression, hence, this is the most heavily-scored song amongst the four presented in this particular performance.  The next two poems "The River" and "Snow" are not personal and confessional like the first two, but instead offer a detached philosophical perspective.  "The River" deals with the dichotomy between lightness and weight, and I have attempted to elucidate this duality through the use of contrasting meters as well as contrasting musical gestures.  "Snow," one of my personal favorites, is simple and direct in tone, yet carries profound meaning.  My guiding principles in setting this poem to music were simplicity and symmetry, and I have tried to stay consistent with the light and evanescent quality of the text.
============================

RAG DOLL

Rag doll
Disembodied oyster
Fleshy Mother of pearl.

Where there should have been life,
Only tea dregs remain.
A wilted tree with
Asphyxiated roots ---

I had not even known,
Or was just not ready to face you.
But now you are gone
Without even a "hello!”

My little crystal ---
What were you?
What would you have been?

Like a rag doll
Disembodied oyster,
Here I lie ---

Cold and bare,
An empty shell.

============================

THE INTIMATES

Darkness descends.
Its heavy black veil
Gently smothering
Muted screams
Engulfed within.

Run, now.
Hide from them -
They can see you,
They can see you.

On and on,
forward, forward,
The voices pause -

For a breath.
A deafening chorus
Shrieks from within.

Nowhere to turn.
Nowhere to flee.
==============================

THE RIVER

The river has seen it all.
It does not speak.
Serenely, plodding along its own
Infinite course of rebirth.

The weary soul
Yoked and chained to
The boulder of its own existence,
Does not understand
The lightness of the river.

The quiet waves
Gently lapping
Over a
Submerging head.
Silent kicks, muffled cries
Blending into the deep, deep,
Grey hues of the water.

The river has seen it all.
It does not speak.
=============================

SNOW

Oh, Snow,
Clean and light, 
Fresh and white.
A picture of tranquility!

Your pristine form
Sheathes a heart of dust.
A birth from impurity!

Transfigured speck,
You remain untainted - 
Evanescent entity!

Oh, Snow,
Clean and light, 
Fresh and white.
A picture of tranquility!

***

This piece has been awarded the BERNARD ROGERS MEMORIAL PRIZE (2015) from the Eastman School of Music.

Four Songs

Tango created as I was impressed by Carlos Gardel works. Hope I caught some flavor of his tangos...

Scent of a Spring

Movement 1. This work was commissioned and performed by James Teh in 2016. The title of the work takes its name from a Portuguese word that has no real equivalent in English. Roughly translated, it refers to a deep, bittersweet emotion, a nostalgic longing for something unattainable. This may relate to the past or to the future, and the subject of the longing can be many different things, such as people, places or even a bygone era. 
	The Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo defined it as: "a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy."
 	I explore different aspects of Saudade in each of the three movements of this work.
Photo credit: Eleanor Wilks

Saudades I

The second piece is for alto flute and represents the Kokato.  Tane's Children was the closing piece in a program of music entirely by Thomas Goss.  Thomas also wrote "Rococo Sonatina", "Aubade" and "In Flight" for flute and piano and "Matins" for alto flute and piano.  Tane's Children received its premiere at this performance, as did all his other works for flute (they had been recorded but never performed live).  This concert represented a  turning point for me - I felt like I had "grown up" as an artist and gave one of my best performances to date.

Saudades I

Cathy Applegate

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