COMPEL Omeka Dev

Behind the Back

Item

Title

Behind the Back

Description

Work for pipa (traditional Chinese lute) and electronics (triggered fixed media and some live processing). Commissioned by The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra for Su Yun-Han.

The musical inspiration for this piece comes from my fascination with the murals of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. The artwork famously depicts musicians performing while dancing and flying though the air. One image – that of a woman playing pipa behind her back – is so iconic that many Chinese dancers train in order to recreate her graceful pose. Behind the Back alludes to the ceremonial atmosphere of the Mogao murals while imagining the sort of music provided by the acrobatic women depicted within – a music which incorporates passages suggestive of dance and aerial maneuvers. At all times, the virtuosity and lyricism of the pipa is the focal point.

Creator

Date

2016

Instrumentation

pipa and electronics

Duration

13:00

Citation

Timothy Roy, “Behind the Back,” COMPEL Omeka Dev, accessed November 22, 2024, https://compel-dev.vtlibraries.net/items/show/252.

Comments

Allowed tags: <p>, <a>, <em>, <strong>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>