Music composed by Aris Antoniades.
This piece was commissioned by the Sforzando Composers' Collective
for the New Asia Chamber Music Society.
Live Video from the Premiere:
August 4th, 2017 Christ Chapel, Riverside Church, NYC
Performers:
Yutong Li, Chinese Dulcimer Sheng-Ching Hsu, Violin Amber Ho, Cello Daniel Feng
When I was presented with the challenge of composing a work combining traditional Chinese instruments with conventional Western instruments, I was quite intrigued: merging different sound-worlds has always been a strong compositional interest of mine. I am fascinated by folk music and, being born and raised on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, much of my music is greatly influenced by my Greek cultural heritage. This piece is no different: I’ve attempted to use the enchanting sound of the Chinese Dulcimer in a way that reminds me of my home.
Lullaby and Fugue is a work inspired by the magical art of story telling. I still remember many of the bedtime stories my grandparents used to tell me when I was young. Their stories were not just entertaining, but also didactic: I follow many of their teachings to this very day, and I believe that these stories have played a vital role in shaping my character. The Lullaby portrays the soothing aspect of a bedtime story, whilst the Fugue represents the hidden, ‘cerebral’ aspect. I would like to thank my friends at the Sforzando Composers Collective and the New Asia Chamber Music Society for this great opportunity and all of the performers for their time and dedication. Additionally, I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. J. Mark Stambaugh for helping me discover the true “magic” of counterpoint, back in college. Finally, I would like to dedicate this piece to the greatest storytellers in the world: my grandparents George, Panayiota, Anthis and Persoulla.