In the Mist Stand a thousand Temples (2019)

for clarinet, violoncello and piano

 

千里鶯啼綠映紅

水村山郭酒旗風

南朝四百八十寺

多少樓臺煙雨中

​

In this far-reaching land, orioles warble among radiant tints of red and green;

In waterside villages and by hillside city walls, tavern signs flutter in breeze.

Of the thousand temples built in the old dynasties,

Many towers and terraces are now there, shrouded in rain and mist.

 

                                                 —-Jiangnan Spring, Du Mu (803-852)

 

​

This short composition is an impression on the above poem written by Du Mu, a poet living back in the Tang dynasty of China. The singing clarinet leads the ensemble through different scenes. The feeling of a warm and delightful spring is what I am looking for in this musical journey. And the uses of percussive sounds add a shade of playfulness into this “red and green” soundscape.