Landscape

Description

Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Tenor, Bass — Commissioned by ACFEA Tour Consultants for the Kansas City Chorale, my choral work Landscape is a contribution to Chorus America, dedicated to and premiered by the KC Chorale, led by Charles Bruffy, at Chorus America’s 25th anniversary convention in Kansas City, on June 5, 2003.The text of Landscape is an ancient Chinese poem written by Su Dong-po (1036-1101) in 1072 (Song Synasty), sung in Chinese.Like spilt ink dark clouds spread o’er the hills as a pall;Like bouncing pearls the raindrops in the boat run riot.A sudden rolling gale comes and dispels them all,Below Lake View Pavilion sky-mirrored water’s quiet.Hei Yu Fan Mo Wei Zhe Shan,Bai Y Tiao Zhu Luan Ru Chuan.Juan Di Feng Lai Hu Chui San,Wang Hu Lou Xia Shui Ru Tian. ‘Chen Yi's “Landscapes,” receiving its world premiere, was a brief, diamond-clear evocation of a landscape, complete with sonic equivalents of clouds, raindrops, a lake, even hills.’—Paul Horsley, Kansas City Star