Plum Blossom

Description

Piano — Commissioned by The Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd., my piano solo work PLUM BLOSSOM was written for the 5th Hong Kong International Piano Competition, for all 15 semi-finalists to perform as the compulsory piece in October 2019.In Chinese culture, the plum blossom symbolizes nobility, elegance, perseverance, independence, and faithfulness.The pitch material of the piece is taken from the beginning of the popular Cantonese children’s song “Moonlight.” There are developments of the initial material in variations throughout the piece, featuring expressions of the image with varied performing techniques for both hands, with the textures in layers. Chen Yi’s exquisite PLUM BLOSSOM is a fantasy on the Cantonese children’s song “Moonlight.” The evocative title is inspired by plum blossoms which in Chinese culture symbolize nobility, elegance, perseverance, independence, and faithfulness. The 4-minute work weaves all these traits into a set of variations. PLUM BLOSSOM was commissioned as a compulsory work for the 2019 Hong Kong International Piano Competition.