Score
Bodhisattva of the Silk Road, and Guan Yin Qu (piece for guanyin) : two pieces for erhu (2-stringed Chinese fiddle) and zhong ruan (4-stringed Chinese guitar) / Tony Wheeler.
Library shelf no. 785.712/WHE 1 [Not for loan]
Work Overview
This piece, composed in 1986 and revised in 2013, is a musical
portrayal of various aspects of life, both ancient and present,
in the far western province of Gansu. This is a region
characterized by vast expanses of
dry, sandy desert, and being one of the localities through which
passed the ancient 'Silk Road' trade route, was one of the first
places in China to be affected by the eastward spread of Buddhism
from India, during the Tang Dynasty. The somewhat reserved
timbral quality of the ruan, coupled with its versatility, make
it an ideal complement here to the more soloistic, voice-like
expressiveness of the erhu. At the outset this expressiveness is
fully exploited in first section as the erhu intones a
beautifully lyrical melody to the subtle counterpoint of the
ruan. The middle section is faster and highly rhythmic, with a
return to plaintive lyricism at the end
Work Details
Year: 1986, this version: 2013
Instrumentation: Erhu, ruan.
Analysis
Subjects
- Inspired by: Asian culture
Performances of this work
21 Sep 2019: at Spring Sounds of East And West (Christ Church, Lavender Bay).
16 Feb 2013: at Spring of the Golden Snake (Music Workshop, Sydney Conservatorium of Music).
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