British Composer Awards 2015

composed by Dai Fujikura
text by Harry Ross
performed by Nederlands Kamerkoor 
conductor: Reinbert de Leeuw


Papaver for choir

Split into six continuous movements, this dramatic piece contrasts moments of tranquility with cacophony, freedom with oppression, and organisation with chaos! Taking inspiration from Sun Tzu's ancient manual on strategy, 'The Art of War', I started to imagine the orchestra as a sort of army trying to follow Sun Tzu's sage advice, e.g. ‘Ultimate excellence lies…in defeating the enemy without ever fighting’, but falling into a maelstrom or chaos and mutiny at every turn.  

Sun Tzu's 'five fundamentals' of 'The Way', 'Heaven', 'Earth', 'Command' and ‘Discipline' became important musical characters in the piece and loosely form five of the six main sections. After battling not only within themselves, but also with the 'offstage' orchestra, the piece reaches an ethereal, transcendent epilogue with the music rising ever higher and higher. 

To add an extra dimension to this piece, I was able to work with the CCSO's Artist in Residence, Lesley Fotherby, whose artwork is going to be projected above the orchestra during the performance. Lesley has been busy creating abstract watercolour sketches based on early rehearsals of the music, which in turn have been up on my wall as inspiration while completing the piece.


In Search of Strategy - Full BBC Recording

Tycho's Dream, a sci-fi youth opera for the Glyndebourne main stage, premiered 8th Nov 2014. Part 2: Fear of Counting Forward

Tycho's Dream: Part 2, Fear Of Counting Forward

Introduction by Ankita Saxena.
Music: Stuart Hancock and Drum Heads.
Words: Mat Lloyd.
Performed by the Snapshot Songs Choir.
Soloists: Jacqueline Acheampong, Julius Xavier, Olivia Preye Bradbury, Kevin Speid.

01 Overture - This City

Kathryn Williams, flute
Joe Whelan, percussion

Orlog (2012, Flute and percussion)

Liza Lim, Winding Bodies: 3 knots (2014) for alto flute, bass clarinet, piano, percussion, Norwegian hardingfele (hardanger fiddle), violin, viola, ‘cello, double bass.
Cikada Ensemble conducted by Christian Eggen, hmcf// (live recording)
https://limprogrammenotes.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/winding-bodies-3-knots-2014/

Winding Bodies: 3 Knots, 2014 (excerpt, mvt 1)

Some clips from my orchestral piece, 'In Search of Strategy', commissioned as part of the 'Adopt a Composer' scheme and nominated for a British Composer Award.

In Search Of Strategy_Clips

Geese flying overhead 2-octaves below

Premiered by Carl Rosman (bass clarinet)
15 April 2013, St. Paul's hall, Huddersfield, UK

---
Imagined picture: calligraphy, a brush painting with Chinese ink, on one’s skin. This image stuck in my mind while I composed the work.

Ink is made of gelatin, obtained from boiled skins, bones and connective tissues of animals, and soot, produced when plants burn incompletely. I wondered if animals’ and plants’ memories are still stored up in Chinese ink. Similarly, I examined whether multiple musical voices can exist within one larger identity. How can a work for solo instrument embody as many colours as possible? Can contrasting gestures co-exist but keep their original identities within a piece of music?
 
Skin, Gelatin, Soot could be another picture of the skin calligraphy, in which performer orients the multiplicity of musical materials in the same manner that calligrapher would draw with the ink of animals and plants.


Skin, Gelatin, Soot (2013) for solo bass clarinet

For more information, please see: http://lizalimcomposer.wordpress.com

Winding Bodies: 3 Knots, 2014 (excerpt, mvt 1)

LizaLimcomposer

Related tracks