ACOF 2004 Participant - Adeline Wong

Adeline Wong

Adeline Wong's Steel Sky was a composition written for ACOF 2004.

 

 

...I have always been curious in the ways of activating the listeners' memory and anticipation, bringing forth soundscapes into which the listener can plunge....

Program Notes - Steel Sky

In this work, I envision and hear two different sound worlds. 'Steel' is represented by harsh, loud, percussive and brutal sounds. One can almost "see" vertical lines moving hurriedly in a frenzied manner.

'Sky' for me, represents space and timelessness – written in long, sustained passages with a sense of freedom in time.

This work is structured in three sections. After a thunderous introduction, the work begins with a slow scalic descent that I visualize as the basis of the entire work. The central section is energetic, rhythmic, rapid, frenetic – almost a battle between the different sections of the orchestra – eventually building to a fierce climax. An "organ-like" passage played by the wind instruments marks the concluding section of the movement. This final section obliterates the harshness and urgency of previous material and brings the work to an end with a musical image for a reflective memory.

Composition Diary - June 2004

I have always been curious in the ways of activating the listeners' memory and anticipation, bringing forth soundscapes into which the listener can plunge, unleashing vivid visual associations and turning into a mirror of faded realities. This however is not always an easy task and my music places its trust into a single idea that can transform and dissolve the material presented and regenerate themselves into new emotional states.

In the past two months or so, I have been introduced to a new form of music, music for theater - ranging from psychological disorder, contemporary conditions of territorialism and xenophobia and the most interesting one, a deconstructed fashion opera! This has much to do with the Director of Sumunda Productions for whom I will be composing music for his production, Five Letters from an Eastern Empire. The task of composing these two works (ACOF and Five Letters) concurrently has a slight theatrical effect due to my new understanding of image. In short, the visual elements of theater have now somewhat transformed into a new sonic phenomenon in my new orchestral work for ACOF.

I have started the first section of my orchestral work where strings dominate for a minute and a half. The strings play on a narrow range of pitches that gradually builds up to a hypnotic state. At this point the rest of the orchestra joins in, creating lush soundscapes that counteract with the previous musical material. In my recent compositions, I have always been guarded with the use of transitions in music structure. As a result, my works in the past year have a continuous flow with smooth transitions. In this new work for ACOF, I can foresee smooth/abrupt transitions and even no transitions, giving the effect of splitting images/sounds and constant block-like structures. These different sections however are united with one common musical thread, the opening musical idea played by the strings.

As I continue this musical process, the theatrical effect could have a logical growth or I could end up writing something different. I guess one can only see such things with time…

Composition Diary - August 2004

The recent teleconference was to me a platform for 'official' introduction to the Forum and provided an opportunity to have an interesting exchange of ideas. Suggestions regarding meter changes and balance coordination were helpful. Upon the recommendations by composers Andrew Schultz and Brenton Broadstock, I have taken their advice to use the lower range of the cello to achieve a greater sonority in the 'string tutti' section.

During the past week or so, I have been thinking a lot about the architecture of my orchestral work. Some compositions unfold naturally from organic process while others might be based on gut feeling, instinct and spontaneity. I have used the latter approach.

The decision that I have made is to give more attention to timbre as a structural force. The opening string section serves as the main 'ingredient' for my work and subsequent sections will be fragmented and deconstructed. An orchestral masterpiece that comes to mind is Debussy's late orchestral work, Jeux. It is my intention (from this point) to create an orchestra 'without feet' - where sparseness of orchestral textures using string and wind harmonics alternates with loud brass and percussion outbursts.

Compositional decisions always leave their mark on a piece, whether or not you think about it. Hopefully my decision will show a balance of various structural, emotional and intuitive elements.