Instrumentation: piano, violin, cello
Duration: 6 minutes
Year: 2015
Full Recording
Program Notes
Commissioned by the Musicus Society Inc. of Hong Kong for piano trio, In Suspension (2015) is a one movement work inspired by the Champagne room (picture below) in 1881 Heritage. While studying the history and visual representation of the room as part of my research for this piece, I was struck by the modern design of the chandeliers that was in contrast to the Victorian-era parlor furniture. The lights were arranged in a downward spiralling pattern similar to the double helix similar to DNA, but yet displayed an irregularity that put it apart from its setting.
In Suspension explores in musical terms the visual and metaphorical aspect of the chandeliers and the heritage building. Using descending and ascending melodic patterns as my basic material, the music is a reflection of the physicality of the lights that seem to wind perpetually downwards. Metaphorically, the chandeliers in suspension become a representation of the building suspended in time in its Victorian trappings while the world around it has been developing rapidly in the past 100 years. My music attempts are to bring these elements together as a tribute to an important era in Hong Kong’s history.
Performance History
- Nov 26, 2015, Mary Wu, Elena Cheah, Priya Mitchell
Sheung Wan Civic Center, Hong Kong SAR
Musicus Fest Hong Kong
- Nov 28, 2015, Mary Wu, Elena Cheah, Priya Mitchell
1881 Heritage Building, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Musicus Fest Hong Kong
Roydon Tse 