composer Alice Ho talks about her work “Four Dragons”, before the premiere by the Sound of Dragon Ensemble
Alice Ping Yee Ho 何冰頤
Hong Kong-born JUNO Award Nominee Alice Ping Yee Ho has written in many genres and received numerous national and international awards, including the 2019 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, 2016 Louis Applebaum Composers Award, 2014 Prince Edward Island Symphony Composers Competition, 2014 Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Friendship Orchestral Composition Competition, 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award “Outstanding Original Opera” for her opera The Lesson of Da Ji, 2013 Boston Metro Opera International Composition Competition, K.M. Hunter Artist Award, du Maurier Arts Ltd. Canadian Composers Competition, MACRO International Composition Competition, Luxembourg Sinfonietta International Composition Prize, and International League of Women Composers Competition.
Alice’s influences include Chinese folk and operatic idioms, Japanese Taiko , jazz, pop culture, and other contemporary art forms. Her music has been released on numerous CDs. She has been featured at national and international new music festivals such as ISCM World Music Days, Ottawa Chamberfest, Demark’s CRUSH New Music Festival, Asian Music Week in Japan, etc. Her works have also been performed by major ensembles and soloists including Finnish Lapland Chamber Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, China National Symphony, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish Radio Choir, Estonia’s Ellerhein Girls’ Choir, the Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Victoria, Nova Scotia, Hamilton, Kitchener Waterloo, and Windsor Symphonies, the Luxembourg Sinfonietta, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, New Music Concerts, Penderecki String Quartet, TorQ percussion quartet, Duo Concertante, violist Rivka Golani, percussionists Sumire Yoshihara, Evelyn Glennie, and Beverley Johnston, flutist Robert Aitken, Patrick Gallois, and Susan Hoeppner.
“Four Dragons” (2020) – Alice Ping Yee Ho (Toronto) 9’30”
for dizi, flute, erhu/vocal, erhu 2 or violin, guitar, ruan, cello, percussion
《四天龍》－ 何冰頤，笛子、長笛、吉他、二胡/人聲、二胡或小提琴、阮、大提琴、打擊
In Chinese legends, four virtuous dragons saved the world from drought by scooping up sea water and sprayed rain from heaven. They became four great rivers that forever nurture people: Hellongjian 黑龍江 (Black Dragon) in the North, the Huangbe 黃河 (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang長江 (Yantze River) farther south,and the Zhujiang 珠江 (Pearl River) in the South.
何冰頤的作品《四天龍》富有戲劇張力，取材自中國神話和民間傳說：東海的四條龍汲取海水降下甘霖，以拯救人們免受乾旱之苦，隨後它們化身為四條河流—黑龍江、黃河、長江和珠江，滋潤著這片土地上的人民。
full story from the composer:
This composition is inspired by tales of dragons in ancient mythology. Dragons are symbols of supreme power and good fortune in many cultures. I am particularly fascinated about the relationship between dragons and humans told in ancient Chinese folklore, their ability in controlling over nature and people is an important part of Chinese culture over thousands of years.
This nine minutes composition, commissioned by the Sound of Dragon Ensemble, unfolds the Four Dragons Tale of China. The four connecting short movements in this work suggests a “Once Upon A Time” story about four virtuous dragons saving the world from drought by scooping up sea water and sprayed rain from heaven. Their noble deed infuriated the Jade Emperor, and eventually banished themselves to form China’s four great rivers – the Hellongjian 黑龍江 (Black Dragon) in the North, the Huangbe 黃河 (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang長江 (Yantze River) farther south,and the Zhujiang 珠江 (Pearl River) in the South.
The instrumentation is a mixed ensemble of dizi, western flute, female voice, percussion, classical guitar, daruan, 2 erhu, and cello. This unconventional combination provides unusual instrumental colors and timbre. An exotic sound world evolved from an atmospheric ceremonial first movement, and heightened the energy in the forthcoming music journey with distinct rhythmic and melodic ideas. Combining intense drumming, strumming techniques, microtonal effects, and folk style vocalization, I hope to sparks the imaginary characters of the dragons and voices of human, and engage the audience in an ancient magical world.
“Buddha‘s Song” (2013, 2018) – Alice Ping Yee Ho (Toronto) 7’00”
for dizi, sheng, erhu, pipa, zheng, cello, percussion
《樂佛普》－ 何冰頤，笛子、笙、二胡、琵琶、箏、大提琴、打擊
This composition is inspired by a childhood memory: growing up in my grand parents’ house in Hong Kong, my grandmother had a daily routine chanting to a statue of a Laughing Buddha (笑佛). What I recall the figurine is a fat man with a big smile, dressed in a robe and surrounded by many adoring children. Since he represents contentment and abundance, the Laughing Buddha statue becomes a common sacred household item worshipped by many families in China regardless of their religions and differences.
Using a mixed ensemble of Chinese instruments (dizi, sheng, 2 erhu, pipa, guzheng) with percussion and Western cello, this work is written in loving memory of my grandparents to celebrate human spirit by tracing the character of a “good Buddha”: poor but generous, entertaining and loving.
“Tempered Moon” – Alice Ping Yee Ho (Toronto) 7’20”
for erhu, zheng, pipa
《雍容月影》－ 何冰頤，二胡、箏、琵琶
Tempered Moon depicts a poetic imaginary: under the quavering moonlight, many shadows become alive and take shapes as beautiful, seductive beings. The feeling of Moon-struck is expressed through the evocative and lyrical nature of the three Chinese instruments: Erhu, Pipa, and Guzheng. It is a musical journey of discovering love and euphoria.