SKU: PR.312418590

UPC: 680160595785. 8.5 x 11 inches. Text by Chen Yi.

Often called the Ellis Island of the West, Angel Island in San Francisco was used as an immigration station in the first half of the 20th century, processing some one million Asian immigrants. Because of U.S. policy of the time, many spent years on Angel Island awaiting entry. Recently named a National Historical Landmark, Angel Island and its history is the inspiration behind Chen Yi's Angel Island Passages, commissioned by the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Chen explores the experiences of the immigrants, even using poems carved in the walls, to express the mood, the patient yearning, and the ultimate release and embrace of a new country. Angel Island Passages was premiered June 4-5, 2010 by the SFGC and the Cypress String Quartet at the San Francisco Conservatory. For advanced performers. Duration: 15'.
Commissioned by San Francisco Girls Chorus (Executive Director Melanie Smith), and premiered by the SFGC and Cypress String Quartet on June 4, 2010, conducted by SFGC’s Artistic Director Susan McMane, at San Francisco Conservatory, CA, the 3-movement song cycle Angel Island Passages is written for children’s chorus and string quartet, with multimedia projection on the walls of the concert hall, produced by visual artist Felicia Lowe.  The creative idea of this work was initiated by Dr. McMane, who invited me to write the music, and sent me the book “Island, poetry and history of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940”, by Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung for reference in 2009; also inspired by the Angel Island stories, and through cooperation with Felicia, who shared with me her film “Carved in Silence” and video productions “Chinatown” and “Road to Restoration”.I named the first movement of my work as “1882”, which reflected the dark mood under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.  The collective poems carved on the wooden walls in Angel Island expressed deep emotion in sorrow and anxiety.  The music in the second movement “Longing” is sad and sentimental.  The third movement is called “We Are America”, which is ever-moving, energetic and optimistic.  The text sung in the beginning in Chinese means “I am an American”.  It’s sung in Cantonese dialect, then in Mandarin.  As the music develops, from homophonic to polyphonic with increasing layers, the climax is reached when the text is turned to English “We Are America”, which symbolizes the flourishing society with the great contribution from thousands of immigrants during the years.  The music fades out towards the ending of the work, which pushes the scene to a remote picture, to look forward to the future peace of the world.I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with such inspiring creative artists in this project, and hope the work is meaningful to our new society after the premiere performance.—Chen Yi.

SKU: BT.GOB-000963-010

This composition was based on the world-famous novel by the French author Jules Verne. This novel describes the attempt to reach the centre of the earth. The descent of the crater of the volcano called Snaeffels, situated in Iceland, marks thebeginning of this voyage to the sublunary world.
The German geologist, professor Lidenbrock, is accompanied on this trip by his nephew Axel and an Icelandic guide named Hans. The last mentioned will be helpful in many occasions.

Dark colors & mist

The composer tried in this single work to give a musical expression to various significant moments from this novel. In the introduction he sketches an image of the dismal ambience on the island by using dark colors. Risingfragments of mist reveal the flanks of the monumental mountain Scataris. The composer tries to catch this image in a majestic and broad chorale.

Away from Iceland

Subsequently the ostinato rhythmicity and virtuosity representthe hectic descent of the crater of the volcano. The party descends ever more and more and travels south, away from Iceland. On the way, they see all kinds of rock formations, fossils and minerals. At a depth of thirty hours walking distance, atabout 150 kilometers below the surface, they reach a sub terrestrial sea which is called the Lidenbrock sea.

Genuine eruption of sounds

Strange electric manifestations and unpredictable weather conditions accompany thissingular phenomenon. An orchestral tutti-episode expresses this impression musically. On a make-shift raft, the party continues its voyage, heading to the south coast of this huge sea. Once ashore, an enormous rock obstructs the passage. The blowingup of this obstacle unleashes a genuine eruption of sounds in the orchestration.

Spat out by the volcano

But the explosion has an unforeseen side effect. The sea - travelers and raft included - is sucked upwards into a dark hole.Again, our heroes are accompanied on their involuntary voyage, while left to fend for themselves, by an ever increasing ostinato rhythmicity.

Before an irruption can destroy the raft, the threesome manages to escape and climb up through acave towards the daylight. They seem to be spat out by the Stromboli volcano on the island of Sicily, far from home.
The composition ends with triumphant sounds that represent the scientific triumph of these adventurers.

De compositie 'Voyage au centre de la terre ....' is gebaseerd op de wereldberoemde roman van de Franse schrijver Jules Verne. Het boek beschrijft de poging het middelpunt van de aarde te bereiken. Een afdaling van de op IJslandgesitueerde vulkaankrater 'de Sneffels', markeert het begin van deze reis in het ondermaanse. De Duitse geoloog professor Lidenbrock wordt hierbij vergezeld door zijn neefje Axel en een IJslandse gids genaamd Hans. Laatstgenoemdezal in menig netelige situatie nog van pas komen.

De componist heeft getracht in dit eendelige werk een aantal significante momenten uit deze roman te verklanken.
In de inleiding wordt door middel van donkere kleureneen beeld geschetst van de desolate sfeer op het eiland. Optrekkende flarden nevel onthullen de flanken van de monumentale berg 'de Scartaris'. De componist tracht dit beeld te vangen in een majestueus, breed opgezet koraal.
Vervolgens staan ostinate ritmiek en virtuositeit voor de hectische afdaling in de vulkaankrater.
De groep daalt dieper en dieper af, en reist daarbij zuidwaards, weg van IJsland. Onderweg komen ze allerlei rotsformaties,fossielen en mineralen tegen. Op een diepte van 'dertig uur gaans', op ca. 150 km. diepte, bereikt het gezelschap een onderaardse zee die 'de Lidenbrockzee' genoemd wordt.
Vreemd aandoende electrische verschijnselen enonvoorspelbare weersomstandigheden vergezellen dit zonderlinge fenomeen. In een orkestrale tutti-episode wordt deze indruk verklankt.
Op een provisorisch gebouwd vlot vervolgt het groepje hun reis, daarbij koersend naar dezuidkust van deze enorme zee. Eenmaal aan wal gekomen verspert een enorm rotsblok verdere doorgang.
Het opblazen van dit obstakel ontketent een ware klankeruptie in het orkest. Echter, de ontploffing heeft een onvoorzien neveneffect.

SKU: HL.4008735

UPC: 196288197041.

The Eagle's Quest was commissioned by Brevik Musikkorps (Norway) to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Cort Adeler, a renowned Norwegian-Dutch sailor who was born in the town of Brevik in 1622. His Dutch name Adelaer means 'eagle'. This work celebrates his life but is not programmatic, simply reflecting Brevik's pride in one of its most famous sons. Towards the end of thepiece there is a brief quotation from the town song, Brevikssangen, which is a fitting and captivating conclusion.

SKU: SU.46200040

Clarinet, Violin & Piano Duration: 28' Composed: 1994 Published by: Verdehr Trio The first movement, marked Allegretto, is in sonata-allegro form with extended recapitulations of the two major thematic ideas but varied both in music treatment and instrumentation. The second movement is a scherzo with a trio section interpolated throughout the movement. The third movement marked Adagio assai, is a large-canvassed, expressive slow movement in which a rhythmic motive heard in the first two movements is fully emphasized and used in building towards the climax of the movement. Michigan State University Press.