Insight II  (慧)

Non-objectivity, Idea-lessness, Non-attachment.
無相為體，無念為宗，無住為本


Insight II

In Seventh Heaven (2014)

Dan Gelok, saxophone; Rudy Albach, double bass; and Andrew Schneider, piano

In Seventh Heaven was written for saxophone, double bass and piano.  The content of this piece is not related to religion, but composer wished to bring out a state of happiness, calm and leisure.  One of the intentions to compose this piece was listening to modern Jazz small ensemble.  Besides employing the repetition of some small fragments, there were some short sequences chromatically looping through the sections.  Composers wanted to create a time frame to display a work.   


In Seventh Heaven

Peace Of Mind 《心安》

This title of this chamber ensemble piece is “Hermit” and with the subtitle, “in seduction from the city”.  It was inspired by the life of one of the Christian church legands, Saint Paul the first Hermit (ca. 228–343) who lived in the mountain of the dessert in a cave near a clear spring and wearing palm tree leave as his outfit, eating fruit as his main source of food, drinking lake water and spending the rest of the life in the cave over hundred years.  Composer was really admired of his life style and agreed with the notion of this simple living way and composed this ensemble piece of eight instruments as a reflection to capture the spirit of Saint Paul the first Hermit. 
Composer tried to explore the origin of various sound sources in each instrument he employed in this piece as the basic and simple voicing tone.  The elements of those voicing tone were based on the idea of producing sound in its nature.  Learning from the primitive practice is part of the major concept in making sound in this piece such air sound and percussive key click noise from woodwind instruments, scratching and vibrating one substance (bow hair) and the other (strings) and plucking strings directly on the strings through hands without playing piano keys etc.  Transforming sound was used as the priniciple idea in the musical phrase and sentence structure here in order to imitate the projecting sound from one place to a remote place.


《空谷傳音》是一部為八件西洋樂器而創作的室內樂作品。此曲於二零一四年完成。
能夠活到過百年那麼長壽的宗教傳奇聖人，聖保羅隱修士，生長於一個埃及貴族基督教家庭。他卻離開富裕華麗生活而退隱居住於大自然的沙漠去追求安靜，簡樸和潔淨靈修的生活。作著除了非常欣賞聖保羅隱修士的獨修生活和歸於大自然的純樸意念，更嚮往他自由自在與天地和諧共處的心靈、修身生活。在音樂上，作著嘗試尋求音韻聲律和器樂基本的發響原調作互通交點與共融和諧。


Hermit 《空谷傳音》......... in seduction from the city

yshukin1's Album

Ding II  《鼎 二》

Baden-Wurttemberg Youth Wind Ensemble and Maestro Felix Hauswirth

The silence of Whisper - Six Aphorisms for the Youth

Tranquility in Consonance was written for Jay Liu’s solo flute recital in April of 2016. This piece was scored for flute, saxophone, bassoon and piano, was a group featuring in this recital as well.
In one of the Chinese cultural heritages, “lunar calendar”, each month has its own particular name and meaning, which allows providing more literary and elegant. Most of the designations and significances are quite related to nature. In the fourth month of the lunar year was called “early summer” and “blossom month”. It has been described into two Chinese synonyms: the first one 清 means: clear, distinct or pure, and the second one 和 means: soft, warm, peace, harmony or union. Composer employed these two literally words: 《清 . 和》as the title of this piece.
Tranquility in Consonance is a place where to find and collect the most natural sound and of their own original or primitive manner. In this single movement piece, it conjures a new sonic environment, of natural airy tones, percussive piano plucking, free sliding tone and some harmonic voice to capture the beauty of nature. Meanwhile, the music unfolds at more than one voice simultaneously, the interactive of each voice creates its own character and somehow the contrast of the sound is related to each other and was mingled gently with a coalition. Repeating musical gestures and passages were mentioned, always transitory, within a process of continuous change in color and tone, in which to demonstrate the changing of the season and time.

「清 . 和」是寫給長笛,薩克斯管,巴松管和鋼琴。此曲亦為傑出青年長笛演奏家,廖晃業的演奏會而創作。
很久以前東方文化中已把四季,十二月份等天然時節很細緻地描繪出個中的特色。十二月份中的四月稱為「清和」,大概是
「立夏」之初的節氣與清明春雨和順之間中的美態。中國文化中的不同漢字組合和變化往往可以進入觸不到的的意境。作曲
家借揚雄的作品「劇秦美新」中「鏡純粹之至精,聆清和之正聲」把清和解作「清越和諧」。
曲中主要以簡單清新的音節,淡然優雅的氣象和韻律,以不同的自然發聲演奏技巧中描繪出一幅富於時象氣節的聲、響圖。

Tranquility in Consonance (live)

As I remember, the first time when I visited the Hong Kong Victoria Harbor, it was in my childhood, back to the 70s. By that time, I found the harbor a very beautiful, tranquil and peaceful port. After years, most of the coastlines have been shaped in quite artificial or in some other ways. Somehow, this harbor is still one of the most picturesque and magnificent surrounding scenery in Hong Kong. It really brings quite a lot of significant and splendid memory to me.

The piece begins with slow, calm and uncertain tonality with manners of descending gesture. Musically, I tried to create multiple layers with different sonorities. And I was intended to bring dark tone color and different types of instrumental non-pitch noise effect together.

This piece was written for 13 players of Chinese chamber ensemble. It was scored for dizi, sheng, yangqin, pipa, zhongruan, da ruan, gu zheng, hu qin, cello and double bass.

Serene Haven 《浮 . 憶》 (2015)

上兩個世紀,香港維多利亞港本來是漁民捕魚的天然和優美景致的海港。於七十年代,作曲家的童年記憶中,維港景色的確很美麗。近年作曲家曾多次到訪香港。每次都會到維多利亞海港一遊。除了欣賞那些優美景色,更可以感受到休閒和舒適的空間,最重的可能是重拾一些回憶,有時亦想到美麗繁榮的背後故事。

在這作品的概念,作曲家刻意把不同的音響和色調以相似的姿態和有變化的原素, 形象化的,慢慢地呈現出來。好像從水面上看下水底𥚃中的聲,動,影畫,帶有不 同層次的變化。從深層到淺薄,明亮到暗淡,遠離到近距等互相交替,約隠約現地 和起浮下沉之間的感覺和思憶。

這部作品以十三件傳統絲竹器樂中的獨特性,以聲響化和清純的音韻,把簡樸而基本的聲原加以運用不同的演奏法去調和音色與光彩色擇,好像去描繪一幅音響性的畫像。當中包括很多互相模彷和重複演奏。

浮‧憶 Serene Haven(live)

此作品《九角子》是取材傳統福建地方戲劇“高甲戲”,實“九角戲”。“九角戲”是由九個角色組成。作曲家嘗試以九大種潮洲傳統器樂演奏,如嗩吶大小鑼鼓,笛套,絃詩樂,細樂,潮堂樂,等,作九個音樂上的角色。
曲中亦節錄福建民謠《苦調》和客民謠《山子歌》作音樂素材。曲中結構以「起」,「承」,「轉」,「合」,和「序」,「破」,「急」作曲式。七小段
一氣而成把音樂上的聲響和樂韻,將傳統潮洲文化精作現代的啟思。

This piece, “Nine Actors” was written for Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Inspired by tradition Hokkien drama, is performed by nine actors. Composers tried to used traditional nine main types of Teochew instrumental music such as suona ensemble, “drum and gong” ensemble, flute and woodwind ensemble, strings ensemble, solo and court music etc. Composer imagined those nine types of instrumental groups as nine different actors to perform the entire composition.

There are two traditional Hokkien and Hakka folk tunes as the main musical elements. There are seven short sections to link the entire piece without break. As the whole work, it contains different tone color and energetic rhythmic motion to reflect a new sound on traditional Teochew culture.

Second concert

Nine Actors 九角子

Performed by ensemble Sound Icon 

In one of the Chinese cultural heritages, “lunar calendar”, each month has its own particular name and meaning, which allows providing more literary and elegant. Most of the designations and significances are quite related to nature. In the fourth month of the lunar year was called “early summer” and “blossom month”. It has been described into two Chinese synonyms: the first one 清 means: clear, distinct or pure, and the second one 和 means: soft, warm, peace, harmony or union. Composer employed these two literally words: 《清 . 和》as the title of this piece.
Tranquility in Consonance is a place where to find and collect the most natural sound and of their own original or primitive manner. In this single movement piece, it conjures a new sonic environment, of natural airy tones, percussive piano plucking, free sliding tone and some harmonic voice to capture the beauty of nature. Meanwhile, the music unfolds at more than one voice simultaneously, the interactive of each voice creates its own character and somehow the contrast of the sound is related to each other and was mingled gently with a coalition. Repeating musical gestures and passages were mentioned, always transitory, within a process of continuous change in color and tone, in which to demonstrate the changing of the season and time.

很久以前東方文化中已把四季，十二月份等天然時節很細緻地描繪出個中的特色。十二月份中的四月稱為「清和」，大概是
「立夏」之初的節氣與清明春雨和順之間中的美態。中國文化中的不同漢字組合和變化往往可以進入觸不到的的意境。作曲
家借揚雄的作品「劇秦美新」中「鏡純粹之至精，聆清和之正聲」把清和解作「清越和諧」。
曲中主要以簡單清新的音節，淡然優雅的氣象和韻律，以不同的自然發聲演奏技巧中描繪出一幅富於時象氣節的聲、響圖。

Tranquility in consonance II(live)

Awaiting the Dawn
群鶴待曉
 
Program Note

In this piece, the composer tried to use musical notes as a sound element to paint out a visual scenic picture that he saw the flock of long-legged and long necked cranes settled in a natural wood forest.   At the beginning of this piece, he described the quiet and dark long night; and cranes were waiting for the dawn.  Until the daybreak, cranes opened their wings with different beautiful movements and eventually they flew away to continue their journeys.  The first component inspired the composer was the beauty of the cranes’ gestures such as walking with their long-legged, stretching out their necks and wings in shadow water and dancing.   And the second component is important in this piece in which is timing.  This is also the background (structure).   There are three main sections: 1. Cranes land in the forest at night to rest and wait for the dawn; 2. before the daybreak, they prepare to fly with exercising different movements;  3. flock of cranes fly away.  
 
Cranes’ beauty and their mating dances have made them symbolic birds in many cultures.  Over hundreds years, cranes had been featured in many Chinese ink and brush painting in different periods and styles.   Composer used different Chinese instruments to compose this music to express the natural.  He also tried to create an atmosphere as an environmental effect by using different instrumental extended techniques.  Tone color is one of the basic elements in this piece.  Different combinations of the sound made most of the sonorities as the major source in this soundscape.

此曲《群鶴待曉》是為笛子、笙、揚琴、中阮、箏和二胡而譜寫的。全曲為單樂章，音樂上以時間和空間做結構，把大自然生態和群鶴的姿態和美感互相描繪成依不聲響化和色彩化的圖像。

樂曲開頭，以彈撥樂器之低音滑奏、泛音和吹奏樂聲之單薄和弦，變化顫音和氣音/聲作聲響化的效果，做寧靜和黑暗長夜的描述。接著，以群鶴等待黎明，直到黎明為主題的描寫。

靈感的第一元素是群鶴在淡水上他們的倒影，水影上反映他們的舞姿與走步的姿態，第二元素是「時間行走」的結構，從黑夜裡，群鶴在溪邊休息，到黎明破曉時，群鶴展翅和步走運動做飛行旅程，再到他們飛翔的百變姿態和變化飛行的排列。

數百年來，從東方藝術文化看到不同時代以鶴鳥為題的水墨作品，作曲家希望把中國傳統樂器的古色以環境效果，營造氣氛，把色彩繪出群鶴和大自然的美態、靈聲和節韻。


Awaiting the Dawn 群鶴待曉

Biography

"Stephen Yip has an extraordinary way of creating a post-Darmstadtian modernism that incorporates his Chinese roots with a subtlety that gives us a vivid experience of the inner colors of an advanced spatial sense. It leaves us with a feeling of focused tranquility. He is a genuine voice in new music today."
—Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review

“…..abound in colourful texture that take their cue from traditional Asian music….and ….Yip’s splendid ear and sophisticated technique stand him in good stead….”
—Gramophone Review

Stephen Yip was born in Hong Kong and now living in U.S.A. He received his doctor of musical arts (D.M.A.) at Rice University and bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.  He has attended major music festivals including: Wellesley Composers Conference, Aspen Music Festival, International Summer Course for New Music Darmstadt, Asian Composers’ League, ISCM World Music Days, Chinese Composers’ Festival, Music X, June in Buffalo, IMPULS Ensemble Akademie, California E.A.R. Unit Composer Seminar, the 13th International Summer Program, Czech Republic, International Composers’ Workshop, Luxembourg, the International Summer Course for New Music, Darmstadt, Germany, Wellesley Composers’ Conference. Residencies include: the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Florida, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts , Yaddo Colony, NY and the MacDowell Colony, NH.    

Yip’s works have been performed in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Israel, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.  He has received several composition prizes, included “Earplay”, “Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award”, “Taiwan Music Center International Composition Prize”, “Robert Avalon Interantional Prize”, “Singapore International Composition Competition for Chinese Orchestra”,  “Haifa International Composition Prize”, First International EPICMUSIC Composition Prize, Italy, International Biennial composition competition, the Debussy Trio Music Foundation, Molinari Quartet’s Third International Composition Competition, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Emerging, the ALEA III composition Competition, the fourth NACUSA Texas Composition Competition, the International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition 2010, by the National Academy of Music, Thessaloniki, Greece, and the 2010 Alvarez Chamber Orchestra Freestyle Composition Competition, London, England .  

His works have been performed by major ensembles and players such as Alarm Will Sound, Earplay New Music, Mivos String Quartet, New York New Music Ensemble, Great Noise Ensemble, North South Consonance, Brno Philharmonc Orchestra, inFLUX Duo, Windpipe Chinese Orchestra, Little Giant Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, St. Paul Chambr Orchestra, Curious Chamber Players, TIMF Ensemble, Ensemble El Perro Andaluz, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Avanti, Ensemble Kochi, Moscow New Music Ensemble, etc.
  
Yip’s works are recorded in the ERM-Media, PARMA, Capstone, North South recording, Ablaze records, ATMA Classique, and Beauport Classical labels.  Yip is a member of the SCI, NACUSA, and ASCAP. Currently, he is on the music faculty at Houston Community College and works as a freelance composer.

Email: yshukin71@gmail.com 
Web: www.stephen-yip.com

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