Ancient Echoes

Description

Piccolo, Flute 1, Flute 2, Oboe 1, Oboe 2, English Horn, Clarinet in Eb, Clarinet in Bb 1, Clarinet in Bb 2, Clarinet in Bb 3, Clarinet in Bb, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon 1, Bassoon 2, Contrabassoon, Alto Saxophone 1, Alto Saxophone 2, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Horn in F 1, Horn in F 2, Horn in F 3, Horn in F 4, Trumpet in C 1, Trumpet in C 2, Trumpet in C 3, Trumpet in C 4, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Trombone 3, Trombone 4, Euphonium 1, Euphonium 2, Tuba, Harp, Timpani, Percussion 1, Percussion 2, Percussion 3, Percussion 4 — Ancient Echoes, Zhou's first large-scale work for symphonic winds, is a six-movement work based on the ancient epic poem "Nine Odes" by Qu Yuan. In the composer’s words: “They are odes to humankind, God, and Earth; this is the idea I pursued while composing. The second movement, The Ruler within the Cloud, and the third movement, To the Lord of the River Xiang, feature the woodwinds and percussion, while the rest of the movements rely on the full wind symphony to evoke many vivid musical characters. These characters reflect dualities within the Han-Chu culture: ancient yet new, elegant yet natural, all while entertaining the human, praising God, and offering odes to the earth."