European American Music Distributors Company is a member of the Schott Music Group

World Premiere of Lei Liang's Inkscape with Yukiko Takagi and the Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble

Oct. 09, 2014

World Premiere of Lei Liang's <em>Inkscape</em> with Yukiko Takagi and the Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble

On October 2, Samuel Solomon led the Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble in the world premiere of Lei Liang’s Inkscape for percussion quartet and piano, featuring pianist Yukiko Takagi. The performance took place at the Boston Conservatory Theater, alongside Toru Takemitsu’s Rain Tree and works by James Tenney.

Following earlier works such as Brush-Stroke, Aural Hypothesis, and Harp Concerto, Inkscape is a continuation of Liang’s interest in the relationship between ink painting, calligraphy, and composition. The composer states:

In traditional Asian landscape paintings, we often discuss two complimentary aspects: brush and ink. Piano, in this composition, serves as the 'brush', and the percussion quartet, the 'ink'.

To achieve a ‘brush’ and ‘ink’ quality, the piece employs a wide variety of percussion instruments that are manipulated in unique ways, including tree branches and guiros rubbed with shoe brushes. The program also included Samuel Solomon's percussion ensemble arrangements of Tian (Heaven) and Di (Earth) from Liang’s Garden Eight, originally composed for any solo instrument.

Inkscape was jointly commissioned by The Boston Conservatory Percussion Ensemble, the Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble, and Third Coast Percussion.

Please visit www.schott-music.com for more information on Lei Liang.

Lei Liang
Inkscape (2014)
for percussion quartet and piano
12’ 

Garden 8 (1996)
for solo instrument
14’

Toru Takemitsu
Rain Tree (1981)
for three percussionists
12’

News