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Lei Liang's A Book of Time I Premiered by Han Chen on NYC's Piano on Park Series

Feb. 28, 2025

This evening, pianist Han Chen will premiere Lei Liang's A Book of Time I at Scandinavia House in NYC as part of the Piano on Park Series.

Liang notes: "A Book of Time I is about listening to the earth’s own harmonies hidden in rocks. Rocks are made of different minerals that deform at different speeds, with each constituent experiencing time differently. Some rocks from deep within Earth are brought to the surface in a violent eruption at supersonic speed. This extremely rapid transport process preserves the information these rocks record and helps us understand the inaccessible regions of the planet. Each rock is a book of time.

Our team (“Lei Lab,” launched in 2023) developed the idea and technology to use X-ray fluorescence analysis of minerals to trace a series of data points delineating their elemental peaks. These data points are then transformed through software into harmonies that we can hear. A Book of Time I is based on the first rendition of harmonies created by our “Singing Earth” team in close collaboration with geologist Emily Chin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography."

Lei continues: "Our team “Lei Lab” developed the idea and technology to use X-ray fluorescence analysis of minerals to trace a series of data points delineating their elemental peaks. These data points are then transformed through software into harmonies that we can hear. It gave us a chance to listen to nature’s harmony. A set of 188 minerals were analyzed in the first generation of realization of our idea (exploration began in December 2022, completed in March 2023). Each mineral is identified with a unique harmony of its own."

A Book of Time I was commissioned by the ProtoStar Group and pianist Han Chen with generous support from the Foundation of Chinese Performing Arts, Brigitta & Adrian Gut, Eleanor Eisenmenger, and Dr. Li Wu, Founder & Chairwoman of Virtusan.

Learn more about the "Singing Earth" team's innovative research as well as other Lei Lab initiatives here.

In addition, Lei Liang's latest album, Dui is now available from Islandia Music Records. Dui (meaning “to face”) stages encounters between near and far, home and away, creating visionary moments that transgress space and time. A number of esteemed performers interpret Liang's music, for this new release, including Maya Beiser, cello; Wu Man, pipa; Steven Schick, percussion; Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Zhe Lin, percussion; Mark Dresser, contrabass; and loadbang: Andy Kozar, trumpet; William Lang, trombone; Carlos Cordeiro, bass clarinet; and Jeffrey Gavett, baritone.

Learn more and purchase Duihere.


Lakescape V/Lei Liang/Loadbang

To learn more about Lei Liang, visit schott-music.com.

Lei Liang
A Book of Time I (2023)
for solo piano
21'

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