Commission

 

Commissioned by the Centre for the Arts (CFA) of the National University of Singapore (NUS)

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Programme Notes

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Autumn Blues is a contemplative take on human relationships within contemporary Asian urban life. Fusing elements of Chinese and Blues music, this piece presents interesting dichotomies between East and West, peaceful solitude and loneliness, tradition and urbanisation. This ambivalence is metaphorically represented by various musical elements within the piece, including metre and timbre. The erhu and zhongruan each carry musical lines that seem to each run in their own manner, yet subtly engage in an intimate dialogue against the ethereal backdrop of the guitars.

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Performance History

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Premiered during the concert Asian Waves: The Changing Face of Asia as part of the NUS Arts Festival 2012 by the players of the Guitar Ensemble of NUS (GENUS) in conjunction with erhu soloist Ms. Wang Jia Yao and Zhongruan soloist Ms. Cheng Tzu-Ting under the baton of the composer on 11 March 2012, at the University Cultural Centre Hall, Singapore.

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Recordings

 

Separately recorded and produced as part of the album “Singaporean Original Compositions for Niibori Guitar Orchestra”, produced by the NUS. (2012)

 

 

Other Versions

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A version for solo erhu, solo zhongruan and piano accompaniment is available. Please contact the composer for more details.
 

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