ClarinetFest® 2021 Virtual: Bellheather Recital

Opus 5

The Book of Zodiac
Paul Kopetz (b.1968)

1) Chrysomallus the Ram
2) The Bull of Heaven
3) Castor and Pollux
4) Beta Cancri
5) The Lion of Nemea
6) Shala the Goddess of Fertility
7) Lady Justice
8) Urania’s Mirror – Scorpius
9) Chiron the Centaur
10) Enki the God of Creation
11) Ganymede the Son of Tros
12) Alpha Piscium

Opus 5:

Dr. Rianne Wilschut, clarinet
Paul Kopetz, bass clarinet
Margaret Connolly, violin
Nicholas Tomkin, viola
Mark Hooper, piano

Sheng-Hsin Lin & Menagerie Multicultural Ensemble

The Barbarian Pipes (Chinese Traditional Music)
arr. Wei-Liang Zhang, Sheng-Hsin Lin and Yu-Ting Kuo

Sheng-Hsin Lin, clarinet
Yu-Ting Kuo, guzheng

Parting at Yangguan (Chinese Traditional Music)
arr. Hsiu-Hsiang Su and Sheng-Hsin Lin

Sheng-Hsin Lin, clarinet
Hsiu-Hsiang Su, guqin

Program Notes: Guzheng (21-25 stringed zither) and Guqin (7-stringed zither) have existed for over 3,000 years and represent China’s foremost musical instrument tradition.

Originally recited by a performer with guqin accompaniment, “The Barbarian Pipes” was based on a poem by Cai Wenji of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.– 220 A.D.), who was a war prisoner in North China. During her captivity, she became the wife of the Zuoxianwang (‘Leftside Virtuous King”) and bore him two sons. When Cai Wenji returned to her homeland, she was forced to leave her children behind in the frontier. The music expresses the contradiction Cai Wenji suffered between missing her homeland and not wanting to leave her children. 

“Parting at Yangguan” is a piece of music played with guqin to a poem written by Wang Wei, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Yangguan, or Yangguan Pass is associated with sad parting in Chinese literature as it was the last stop for Chinese travellers leaving China to the Western Regions. Wang Wei wrote the poem after seeing his friend off to serve in the army at Weicheng, a small town near the border. During the song, the line “Once one leaves Yangguan Pass for the West, he will see their friend no more.” is repeated three times, and thus the song is also known as “Three Variations at Yangguan.” The music expresses the intense emotions caused by separation.

 Sheng-Hsin Lin’s appearance is supported in part by Chen-Yuan (Morn Garden) Qin Zheng Society

Opus 5 Program Notes

When: 07/10/2021 | 6:00 pm

Featuring: Dr. Rianne Wilschut, clarinet; Paul Kopetz, bass clarinet; Margaret Connolly, violin; Nicholas Tomkin, viola; Mark Hooper, piano; Sheng-Hsin Lin, clarinet; Yu-Ting Kuo, guzheng; Hsiu-Hsiang Su, guqin

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