SKU: PR.114419280
ISBN 9781491132357. UPC: 680160676125.
Inspired by Chinese tradition, this concerto-like dance suite includes: 1. Lion Dance, 2. YangKo, and 3. Muqam. Each movement draws from melodies and rhythms characteristic of various regions of China many centuries ago. CHINESE FOLK DANCE SUITE is available for violin with full orchestra, or as a recital work with piano.Supported by a major commissioning award from the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, Chinese Folk Dance Suite is written for solo violin and orchestra; it was premiered by The Women’s Philharmonic with violin soloist Terrie Baune, conducted by Apo Hsu, on March 10, 2001, at Yerba Buena Center For the Arts Theater in San Francisco.Inspired by various Chinese traditional folk dances, the suite has three movements:I. Lion Dance. Traditionally, people dance with richly decorated hand-made lions, accompanied by percussion ensemble, to celebrate happy occasions and major festivals throughout the country. In this composition, I use Chinese drum and other percussion instruments in the background, to form a dynamic and rhythmic texture responding to the solo part, which imitates the tunes played on the suona (traditional Chinese trumpet). The pitch materials came from the traditional Guangdong tune “Dragon Boat Racing,” and the Chaozhou tune “Lion Playing Ball.”II. YangKo. Originating in northern China, this is a major folk dance form in mass performance popularized in the country. In YangKo performance, people play rhythmic patterns on the drums hung around their waists while singing and dancing. In the second movement, I imagined a warm scene of YangKo dancing in distance. The solo violin plays a sweet and gracious melodic line while all members of the orchestra sing non-pitched syllables in different layers as the soft background, to imitate the percussion sound which produces the ever-going pulse.III. Muqam. This large-scale music and dance form, from the Uygur nationality in Xinjiang province, originated in the 15th century. My third movement use a 7/8 meter and the melodic style of Muqam music. The fiery dancing gesture culminates in the sustained climax section at the end of the work, after a colorful violin cadenza in both improvisational singing style and polyphonic writing with woven lines.
SKU: PR.114423720
ISBN 9781491129487. UPC: 680160690404.
POSTCARDS FROM UKRAINE is a charming-yet-fiery suite of six character pieces reflecting the culture and music of Didorenko??s homeland. The work was composed in early 2022 following the invasion. Movements 2 and 3 are inspired by folk music with the piano imitating sounds of the bandura, and the other four movements are free settings of authentic folk melodies.More and more in recent times, I turn to the musical heritage of my native Ukraine for inspiration. Shortly after the start of the war in Spring 2022, my friend and New York pianist Evelyne Luest approached me with a suggestion to compose a piece based on Ukrainian folk music. As I began to research authentic song and dance styles, I was immediately drawn to their soulful melodies and stirring rhythms. Postcards from Ukraine came into being in just under a month.The second of these six pieces is written in the style of duma, a sung epic poem recited by itinerant bards, accompanied on a bandura; strumming on the high piano strings imitates the bandura??s sound. In the third piece, an ostinato bass is another impression of bandura playing, while the cello references Carpathian dance tunes. The other four pieces are my interpretations of true Ukrainian folk songs, typically sung a cappella by a women??s choir, from small villages that keep their vocal traditions alive.
