String Sextet - Songbird (2020-2021)
I. Song
II. Flight
III. Feather
Commission:
The Goethe Institut for 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival
Recording:
Live performance footage is available on this unlisted video by musicians at Stony Brook: Link
ca. 12 minutes
Program note:
With the three movements of Songbird, I sought to capture the three essential features of a bird: its voice, motion, and body. The first movement, Song, unfolds in a chain of birdsong-like melodies that weave among the instruments. Instead of mimicking any specific bird songs, I explored the intersection between bird songs and human melodies. Most of the harmonic materials are derived from the natural harmonic series, with the occasional distortions providing moments of tension. The brief, frenetic second movement, Flight, depicts the flying motions of a flock of birds. The third movement, Feather, is inspired by the shape of feathers expanding symmetrically from a central axis. The harmonies represent this shape; they grow from a central point out to harmonic and subharmonic series. The swells of harmonies unfold a narrative in a shape of a feather, exploring the lightness, warmth, and ultimately, devastating stillness. The image of light shining through the veins of the feather marks the end, and the harmonies dissipate into silence.