Conrad

Igniting Kites & Flying Fireworks for Orchestra (2015).

Performed by: Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra; Brandon Philips

The work is written in a pseudo overture style. It aims to evoke a sense of speed and vigour – often found when flying kites or watching fireworks. This is done by manipulating one of the main traditional features of orchestral overtures: the use of dotted rhythms. These dotted rhythms are inverted in order to better evoke the aforementioned feeling of urgency. These figures occur throughout the first theme, which is suggestive of emotions involving pride and joy. This is taken over by the counter-theme, which poses a lighter, comical stance. The opening first section is then brought to a close with both themes supported by strongly tonal harmony, which further enhances the work's sense of joyful celebration. 
  
The piece continues straight into a transitional section, continuing to make use of the dotted rhythm feel (except now portrayed using triplets/compound time). This leads into the second section, which introduces a lyrical aspect to the piece. Different melodic episodes are presented by various members of the orchestra; each evoking a different sense of 'happiness'. These episodes include suggestive feelings of exhilaration leading up to contentment. 
  
The satisfaction posed by the final melodic episode is immediately juxtaposed by angst and impatient material. This is suggested using pointillistic rhythms in conjunction with chromaticism. This is derived from the second theme, which ultimately amalgamates into a large climax. This point marks the return of the first section, revealing that the piece is in altered ternary form, 
  
Igniting Kites & Flying Fireworks concludes with a coda, which recalls thematic incipits that have previously occurred throughout the piece. These are then combined in order to create a powerful climactic resolution. It signifies both the explosion of fireworks and the overall completion of the work.

This composition was awarded joint-1st prize at the 2015 KwaZulu-Natal National Philharmonic Orchestra Composition Competition.

Own Works

Igniting Kites and Flying Fireworks

Six Modal Aphorisms: for Solo Piano
This piano suite consists of small axiomatic statements based upon the natural modes (excluding Ionian mode):
II. Dorian
III. Phrygian
IV. Lydian
V. Mixolydian
VI. Aeolian
VII. Locrian

Pianist: Michael Davidman

2017

Six Modal Aphorisms

shisa nyama for mixed ensemble (2018) by Conrad Asman (b. 1996)

Instrumentation: Piccolo, Trumpet, Alto Saxophone, Violin, Cello, Voice, Piano, Drums and Double Bass

A “shisa nyama” (Zulu for “burnt meat”), also known as a “bring-and-braai”, is the popular South African pastime of having a barbeque. The event brings together any type of person – friends, family or even complete strangers – to share and indulge in a feast of different meats, poultry and carbohydrates; all cooked on an open wood fire. This fun, festive environment featuring a smorgasbord of many flavours instigated the creation of this composition.

shisa nyama for mixed ensemble (2018) opens with the sizzling effect of meat on a fire from the vocalist and drums. This quickly develops into the main bass line on which the piece is anchored. The work features a texture created from a musical collage of different melodic quotations take from various styles of music. Incipits taken from western classical, jazz, and Afro-pop repertoires are all cited to further suggest the “coming together” of various styles and tastes. The work’s main (and ironically original) theme acts as the refrain to which the music anchors its ebb and flow into symphonic, waltz, kwela, atonal, improvisational and aleatoric structures. The piece gradually grows to a large climactic statement featuring all previous material being presented simultaneously – resulting in a large wall of sound with mentions of Mahler, Stravinsky, Gershwin, Paul Desmond and Brenda Fassi, among others. 

shisa nyama ends like any successful party: with a bang!

This performance of shisa nyama (2018) was performed by members of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The work won the clazz category in the 2018 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship competition for composers.

shisa nyama [burnt meat]

Shuāng Miàn Xiù [Two-faced tapestry]: for Orchestra
Orchestra: Suzhou Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Eric Qi-Yuan Zhu

The delicate art form of traditional Chinese embroidery sparked the creation of Shuāng miàn xiù [Mandarin for Two-faced Tapestry] for orchestra (2018). The composition specifically focuses on portraying the complex technique of splitting, stitching and weaving two layers of silk forming an image on either side; a technique synonymous with embroidery from Suzhou in China. This practice of producing different results within the same frame forms the basis of the overall musical texture. Shuāng miàn xiù opens with a series of fleeting gestures, treating the orchestral canvas as a mirror. The harmonic environment for the entire work is similarly structured: utilising inverted diadic harmony and coloured with interlocking dissonance. Rhythmically, Shuāng miàn xiù explores the intrinsic mirroring of triple and quintuple time. After exposing the opening material, the work further develops all these musical elements; weaving a thin, fine background texture. This is suddenly contrasted by a calm, celestial middle section, suggesting the purity and lightness of weaving finely split silk. This grows to a climax with rapid figurations and articulations interlaced with a slow, sliding harmonic progression. Shuāng miàn xiù closes as it opens; a complete mirror of the entire aforementioned structure and harmony is presented, though the colour of the texture now presents a different, elated atmosphere. A final slither of silk hints at the opening fleeting gestures from which the piece was born.

This work was named the joint winner of the 2018 Jinji Lake Composition Competition, held in the People's Republic of China.

Artwork: LeOui Rendsburg

Shuāng Miàn Xiù [Two-faced tapestry]

Xiǎo Hé Tǎng Shuǐ [The Flowing River]: for Sheng, Erhu & Orchestra
Performed by: Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra
Erhu: Ye Chunhong; Sheng: Tang Ruofan

The Chinese folksong 小河淌水 [pinyin: Xiǎo hé tǎng shuǐ English translation: flowing river/stream], rooted strongly in Yunnan culture, is a fine example of how one can express complex meanings of a written text through music. This became the grounding method upon which this composition of the same name,  The Flowing River, was constructed.
The legend of this folksong takes place near an unknown stream of water in the mountains near the Ancient Tea Horse Road. A beautiful maiden from a nearby village falls deeply in love with a travelling horseman. The night before he leaves for battle, they get engaged beside the river. Every night the maiden sings the song of the flowing river, in hopes for her words to be carried to her far away love. When the horseman return, the general tells the maiden that her love has had a change of heart and cannot face her, but instead offers a jade necklace to her as a token of guilt. The maiden refuses to remarry and continues to sing; hoping that her love will come back home. Yet, unbeknownst to her, the general did not have the strength to tell the maiden that her fiancée had died in the mountains and the necklace was meant as a gift to ask her hand in marriage.
This poignant and emotionally complex tale contains not only touching emotions, but an intriguing structure. In parallel to this, the composition follows a similar musical form, with the foreground material often being masked by a musical depiction of the flowing stream. The stream is the main focus of the textural element in this composition, with the programme depiction taking place in the background. The piece opens with a slow, colouristic depiction of the water, evoking a mystical, wonderous mood. This eventually transforms into more gushing textures and flowing melodies, with the emergence of our two lovers: the Maiden (musically represented by the Erhu) and the horseman (the Sheng). This becomes morphed into a rhythmically focused section, depicting both characters’ joy of being in love, swelling to a climactic point of full euphoria. Suddenly, this is all halted when a distant Trumpet sound the call to battle, bidding the horseman farewell.
The piece’s mood turns cold and dark, and closes with the full folksong melody finally stated as a whole, placed in a sombre but still hopeful atmosphere. As the maiden continues to sing for her long-lost husband-to-be, 小河淌水 / 《 Xiǎo hé tǎng shuǐ 》 / The Flowing River slowly fades to completion.

Score available here: https://bdpmusic.co.uk/product/asman-the-flowing-river/

The Flowing River

Xiǎo Hé Tǎng Shuǐ [The Flowing River]

The music of composer Conrad Asman (b. 1996) has gained international recognition as being “innovative and cutting edge” (Chorosynthesis) and spans a wide emotional range from “heart-rending” (The Esoterics), to “fun and festive” (Creative Feel). His works have been performed in Africa, Asia, Europe and America in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the Jinji Lake Concert Arena. Engagements with ensembles such as the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Esoterics singers, the CHROMA ensemble and the Cape Town Youth Choir have led to his work winning multiple major awards, scholarships and commissions worldwide.