A Tomb Odyssey (2009) - Austin Yip

for amplified violin and gamelan

performed by Yao Jue and HKU Balinese Gamelan
premiered date: 15th April, 2009
venue: Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong

programme notes
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perhaps, the tomb itself is not at all frightful, what constructs its horrific illusion is probably our discomposure of the unforeseeable future after death

Written for violin and gamelan, A Tomb Odyssey is a mélange of east and west, horizontal and vertical, group and individual, pentatonic and diatonic. During the composition stage a crucial problem for the composer was how to integrate the two types of instruments with different tunings together. In using Gamelan Gong Kebyar for this concert, the composer is fortunately enough to have a quasi diatonic gamelan, which possesses a pentatonic scale of quasi G#, A, C#, D, and E. Throughout the piece the lowest string of the violin is tuned up to a G#, so that the four open strings compromise with the gamelans pentatonic scale. This piece also incorporates the use of kotakan (interlocking figure) in the gamelan part and cadenza-type virtuosic writings in the violin part in order to produce an illusion of a violin concerto accompanied by a traditionally played gamelan.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• austin
• yip
• gamelan
• balinese
• yao
• jue
• tomb
• odyssey
• violin