Oriental Winds - Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra 亚洲文化乐团

Composer: Sulwyn Lok
Conducted by Adrian Chiang
Raghavendran Rajasekaran, bansuri
Teoh Kok Chuan, xiao
Brian Lim, suling
Oriental Winds is an evocative and cathartic work for symphony orchestra and three solo ethnic flutes - the Indian bansuri, the Malay suling, and the Chinese xiao. The motifs in this piece were inspired by the ethnic groups, while frequent use of quintal harmonies portray tranquillity and being free from attachment (one can say, to functional harmony), free like the wind. Impressionist concepts and orchestration techniques influenced the creation of the piece.
Opening: A pale shimmer among mist and clouds. The oboe and trombone call out into the vast, formless world, receiving echoes that get shorter and shorter. Muted string trills blow over a mystical scene set up by the harp and vibraphone, their congregation creating a soundscape upon which the first main motif is uttered and foreshadowed in turn. Different winds start to creep in, each starting as a zephyr, growing in intensity, weaving in and out, before fading into empty air.
The world begins to take form: the oboe and the violins sing the main theme, the violins drop out gradually, each clinging onto their last note like a lingering breeze. The theme passes to the clarinets, bassoons, horns, and celli in rich unison. Rumbles from the percussion instruments build up, before the texture dissolves once again. The second motif heralds the arrival of the soloists, each recalling the motifs with different cultural nuances, telling tales as they knew them. The orchestral woodwinds return after each tales, reminiscing, contributing a part of the melody, before the orchestra sweeps into a passionate reprisal of the main theme. The horns counter with a melody based on the second main motif, while the high woodwind ostinati blow relentless gusts of wind.
The strings suddenly descend into a frenzy, the percussion section brings forth a windstorm, where pairs of Chinese cymbals, big and small, are rubbed against each other, conjuring roaring gales, and a Chinese cymbal, placed reversed on the lowest timpano, is rolled upon and pedalled, creating howling sounds. As the congregation is invoked again for this soundscape, the orchestra emerges with a fast tempo in an odd 11/8 meter, the magnificent winds of change sweeping across the surface of the Earth against all odds towards the future. The pulsing rhythm abruptly reaches a standstill, upon which the three soloists trade dances with the bass clarinet, bassoon and trumpet.
The accompanying orchestra winds are tranquil and reflective, contributing to the texture one by one like rays of light. The violins and violas join in the flurry, moving across their registers, eventually building to a sudden breakout. The three solo flutes, edged on by the hi-hat, glide rapidly, picking up from one another, finally moving together and merging into one. The orchestra launches into the concluding passage, even faster than before, eventually losing a beat every successive bar and getting more and more tense, a cathartic rush before a final gust closes the scene.
Commissioned by the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra.