Hong Kong Street Scene from Postcards
Purchase CD from Gainesville Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation
piccolo / flute / oboe I & II / clarinet in Bb I & II / bass clarinet / bassoon I & II / alto & tenor saxophone
trumpet in Bb I & II / horn in F I & II / trombone I & II / tuba
percussion I (stage right)
snare drum, medium or large tam-tam, unspecified pitched temple blocks or woodblocks, large suspended cymbal, small (7-8”) suspended hand cymbals, various unspecific sized and pitched gongs, small trap kit
percussion II (stage left)
snare drum, medium or large tam-tam, unspecific pitched temple blocks or woodblocks, large suspended cymbal, small (7-8”) suspended hand cymbals, various unspecific sized and pitched gongs, field drum
piano
strings
Program Notes
Postcards is a set of four miniatures written in commemoration of travels undertaken during the summer of 2005. Each movement is a snap shot or postcard recollecting some of the more memorable experiences during a five-week adventure from Far East Asia to the North Eastern United States.
I. Bukit Timah
Bukit Timah is Singapore’s largest nature preserve. One afternoon friends and I embarked upon a 10km hike through the dense jungle park. After a brief sighting of monkeys in the tree canopy high above, the only wildlife encounter was that of hearing very loud cicada-type insect noises reverberating through the trees. The unidentified sounds came from opposite ends of the jungle in a call and response manner, resolving to a quarter step and fading away just as the afternoon rain began.
II. Hong Kong Street Scene
In perpetual motion, flowing with electricity, overpowering all the senses, a jungle of concrete and steel that never rests…This is a depiction of an adventure through the heart of the city. Wading through a constant sea of people one cross walk at a time…
Finding our selves in a music store, my friend Russ and I sampled the entire stock of gongs and hand cymbals for an hour and a half while our companion patiently waited.
III. Echoes Stride Across Scargo Lake
From the South Pacific to the serene calm of Cape Cod…I found myself in the small town of Dennis, Massachusetts in the employ of the Cape Playhouse, performing a scintillating production of Ain’t Misbehavin’!
IV. A Slight Detour
Ah, I-95 in the summer…
On the Jersey turnpike five plus hours,
thirty miles north of Baltimore,
accident up ahead and construction on the Potomac…
7:30pm – Pull off the first exit possible and aim the van west toward the setting sun, through the rolling hills of Maryland and Virginia.
9:00pm – Almost hit a deer.
11:00pm – Crossed the Potomac on a two lane bridge in western Maryland…
1:00am – Drove through Manassas Junction,
the cross-tie fences line the road to greet those who care to notice.
The struggles of our nation’s yesterdays
covered in a thin veil of fog.
Then, as they often do, Thoughts turned to home.