🌱: Concert of New Music, ft. Hannah Lam, Joshua Wen

Composer and curated by our very own students at the Department of Music, join us for this concert showcasing eight brand-new works for solo, chamber, and large ensembles.
0:00:13 Introduction
0:01:34 Superposition
Composer: Joshua Wen (b. 1998)
"Just go, and see where it takes us..." is the key concept for this composition. Rather than producing a wanted sound from the instrument like in most traditional approaches, this composition explores the indeterminate spaces by actively responding to the sounds that want to emerge from “it”; the instrument. Performers are to adapt actively by altering glissando speed, bow position and speed changes, embouchure tightness, and fingerings to accommodate best the sounds that emerge from their instruments. In the later part of the piece, the multiphonics from the Clarinet will determine the pitches the rest of the ensemble plays, using the if, else if, else if framework. Part of this composition uses the framework and approaches in The Garden of Forking Paths, an ongoing study by Dr. Scott McLaughlin and Dr. Alex de Little at the University of Leeds.
0:10:40 Incarnatus
Composer: Joshua Wen
_This meditative piece is composed in the style of Arvo Pärt's minimalism method known as tintinnabuli, where the melody moves in stepwise motions and the harmony moves in third or fourth intervals within the chord. Three altos provide a distinctive timbre, highlighting the soprano line while being supported by one baritone. The words are by a Chinese-Filipino poet, Ken Reyes, reflecting on the salvation grace of the Christian faith.
0:14:37 Rhapsody
Composer: Hannah Lam (b. 2005)
This virtuosic solo piano piece is a homage to Romantic composers such as Rachmaninoff and Chopin. Using inspiration from their melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic characteristics, it displays the expressive range of the piano, from anger and agitation to delicate, cantabile melodies.
0:24:28 📅
Composer: Joshua Wen
The Emoji Suite is a collection of composition works exploring the potential of storytelling and dramatic expression in music through the use of pictographs. Connecting musical sounds with daily objects and events to provide a unique and imaginative experience for both performers and listeners. For music students, it is a fun way to experience and understand advanced musical forms, harmonies, and techniques; for the audiences, it is an invitation to understand and “see” music from a different perspective. “📅”, specially written for orchestra beginners, sits in the collection of The Emoji Suite. By exploring musical sounds and movements, students will have the opportunity to broaden their understanding of music. The composition also introduces advanced musical concepts such as aleatoric and minimalistic structure in a fun, interactive way, opening their minds to new musical possibilities.
0:33:04 Shifting for trio
Composer: Hannah Lam
0:38:18 Poliplan’s Adventure
Composer: Joshua Wen
0:48:45 String Quintet - Emergence
Composer: Hannah Lam
The initial conception for this piece was based on the notion of having a single, extended structure in which an amorphous soundworld releases fragments as its texture develops. This organic growth culminates in a hectic and intense conclusion. This piece begins with a slow and quiet aleatoric section, creating an amorphous and reposeful soundworld. The exploration of indeterminacy in the opening helps to provide the sense of a subtle ebb and flow, Following on from the opening amorphous section, various textures and melodic fragments emerge, as the title ‘emergence’ suggests. It expands vertically, and the different fragments are developed and interwoven within the texture. The melodic line becomes fully formed, leading to a vibrant and highly sonorous climax.
1:00:39 Encore
Composer: Hannah Lam, Joshua Wen
Performers
Benjamin Hall
Hannah Lam
Nicole Yuen
Clarise Chong
Ben Blakeborough
Laura Field
Claudia Buchanan
Phedra Low
Joshua Wen
Lingling Bao-Smith
Charlotte Vosper
Xinwei Wang
Friyan Bajan
Sebastian Rowe
Lilly Kurata
Owen Morgan
Heathside Walton-on-Thames String Orchestra
Recorded at Windsor Auditorium, Royal Holloway, University of London
05 June 2024