Lü - Dream of Light for bass clarinet & tape (1995-96) 9' [performed by Stan Climie]
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SCORE EXCERPT:
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Lü - Dream of Light is one of the pieces written for a collaborative project one thousand curves ten thousand colours, a concert bringing together interactive acoustic and electroacoustic music with projected animated images.
The initial spark for this project came from Marguerite Yourcenar's story, How Wang-Fo Was Saved. The underlying theme is how the intermingling of fantasy and reality is an integral part of the creative artist's perception and understanding of the world. Here is a brief synopsis of the story: Wang-Fo is a Han Dynasty painter who is able to see to the very essence of nature and paint it with an astonishing vividness. The Emperor's son grows up isolated in the imperial palace surrounded by Wang-Fo's paintings. On the death of his father he leaves the palace and sees only ugliness in the real world. He then summons Wang-Fo to the palace to have him paint one more painting before he is blinded and behanded as punishment for deceiving him. Wang-Fo begins to paint an ocean scene as water gradually rises about him in the palace. He then steps into a boat and is rowed away into his painting by his disciple. Lü - Dream of Light encapsulates this story. Phrases in the bass clarinet part are analagous to brush strokes.