Commissioned by the Albany Symphony 
Completed April 28, 2021
Premiered June 11, 2021 by David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony's Dogs of Desire

Newness was on my mind in late February 2021 when David Alan Miller asked me to write a piece for the Albany Symphony’s ‘Dogs of Desire.’ I had recently graduated from school, spring was around the corner, and slowly but surely, the world seemed to be inching toward some semblance of normalcy. It had been a long, dark winter, and there was a hesitant hope in the air even around me where I lived: some of Baltimore’s more enthusiastic cherry blossoms had begun to prematurely flower. 

I did not want to write a simple ‘spring has sprung!’ piece, however - the harsh realities of the last year would have made such an approach disingenuous for myself. Instead, I was drawn toward the beauteous ambiguities of Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi’s work. His poetry was filled with natural imagery of the seasons that he shaped into dark yet lyrical ruminations on life, death, and rebirth. 
	
		Fall - ‘...The wind that burns to ash then restores.
			The air fills with embers
			And you go with them.’ 
						- excerpted from his poem, ‘草 (Grass)’

		Winter - ‘Bloom, unbloomed - snow soon thaws (by the dawn)
			midnight snow shrouds the night...’ 
						- excerpted from his poem, ‘花非花 (Flower, no flower)’

		Spring - ‘The gate illumined by
			The sun brings the sweet taste of spring.’
						- excerpted from his poem, ‘春眠 (Spring sleep)’ 

Relatively few of Bai’s poems seemed to concern the summer, and so The Gate Illumined is shaped around his preferred seasons. The music begins tentatively, opening with a brief flurry of motion that is quickly suspended. The gesture repeats, slowly unfolding into running scales and drifting harmonies as two singers trade phrases back and forth. The two are initially opposed - one sings of desolation, the other restoration. Gradually, the music begins to shed its equivocation as its pulse solidifies into running motion. A gathering sense of optimism swells through the ensemble as the singers find agreement. Ultimately, the piece ends the way it began, culminating in the opening gesture.

Large Ensemble

The Gate Illumined, for two sopranos and sinfonietta

THE CLUB'S DOORS ARE OPENED. YOU'RE ON THE LIST!
I made 4 remixes here: Selena Q - Baila Esta Cumbia, Doja Cat ft SZA - Kiss Me More, Cardi B - Up and my tribute to Cristina La Veneno, Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind.

This mix set is meant for fun, the title is meant for you to laugh and start listening to it in a good mood!

No commercial purposes intended.

Popular Sl*t Club

RL X-Mas In July 2022

Happy, disco-inspired tea dance favorites.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/itsallcharlie

Like what you hear? Please spread the word with an Insta story or repost! 🤘🏼😎

Tea Dance Favorites - April 2023

RL X-Mas In July 2023

Solo Bassoon: Alban Wesly
live recording, Strasbourg 2014
info: http://lizalimcomposer.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/axis-mundi/

Liza Lim: Axis Mundi (2012-14)for solo bassoon

Listen to my live evening set from Utopia Festival in Isla Mujeres, Mexico! 

Twilight Takeoff party. Set was from April 5, 2024.

Utopia Festival - April 2024 - Live Set

Acousmatic work reduced to stereo format. Originally premiered at "Event Horizon," Arizona State Marston Theater, March 19th, 2018. Voices by JP Lempke and Jeremiah Sweeney.

this is not a drill [right arrow + picture of cucumber]

Slenderman: Waukesha Attack was composed for the HighSCORE Festival 2018 in Pavia, Italy. I experienced the creation of Slenderman in 2009 on online forums, and was consequently fascinated with the development of the character through the video series Marble Hornets, as well as the many games that followed. Along with many in Wisconsin, I was shocked to hear news of the stabbing two twelve-year-old girls committed on a friend in order to devote themselves to Slenderman and defend their families. Many closely watched the following trial to see how the girls would be tried in this case, and a documentary of the trial called 'Beware the Slenderman' has recently been released.  This music is inspired by the power I realized our culture has to create very real consequences through the internet. 

Premiere performance at the Conservatorio Vittadini by the Trio Mythos, consisting of Giuliano Cavaliere (Violin), Rina You (Cello), and Marios Panteliadis (Piano).

Slenderman: Waukesha [Piano Trio]

This piece is based off of the gate-keeping and invalidation that has historically occurred in the academy. When Conrad Tao and I first began talking about this idea, it became clear that we were both lucky in that we made it into academic music and have had relatively progressive experiences and environments. However, we still hold beliefs and support movements that are against the institution. Despite constantly creating hip-hop in the contemporary world, the genre still is invalidated in front of me every day. This cognitive dissonance is what I explored when writing the piece.

Slenderman: Waukesha [Piano Trio]

David Fisher

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