Instrumentation: String Orchestra (65532 min.)
Duration: 7 minutes
Year: 2012
Video
Program Notes
To be clear, the title is not in any way connected programmatically to the popular novel “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. The piece is in a loose ternary form, opening with a fast and exuberant dance for the strings in 5/8 and 7/8. This is followed by a slow but elegant theme and variations section on a melody with vague oriental overtones.
The title captures the movement and energy of the opening section, as one can imagine falling into the earth as the tremolo figures of the strings whirl around and around. It is also symbolic however of a voyage to find ones identity, as the protagonist in “Alice in Wonderland” also does through the falling into the hole. Before this piece, I have never directly explored the music of Asia and have possibly avoided doing so. ‘Down the Rabbit Hole” is in no way an authentic representation of music from Asia, but is the first in I hope many attempts to find a balance between the music of my culture and my artistic voice. The middle section is written in a quasi Asian style, similar to Rimsky Korsakov’s Sheherazade and Gustav Holst’s Japanese Suite. Here, I use pizzicato and glissando to capture the expressive playing techniques in Asian music.
Performance History
- Mar 16, 2013, Victoria Symphony Orchestra
Alix Goolden Hall, Victoria, BC, Canada
Tania Miller conducting
- Jan 24, 2015, Orchestre Nouvelle Generation
Salle Claude-Champagne, Universite de Montreal
Airat Ichmouratov conducting
- Jul 27, 2016, Sneak Peek Orchestra
Trinity St. Paul’s Church, Toronto, ON
Bill Rowson conducting
- Mar 24, 2017, Collegium Musicum Hong Kong
Hong Kong City Hall Theatre, Hong Kong
Johnny Poon conducting
- Mar 25, 2017, Collegium Musicum Hong Kong
Hong Kong City Hall Theatre, Hong Kong
Johnny Poon conducting - March 20, 2021, Penn State Philharmonic
Penn State Recital Hall, University Park, PA
Gerardo Edelstein conducting
- October 21, 2021, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
The Cotton Factory, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Eugene Astapov conducting
Score
Score and Parts
Please contact the composer here for score and/or part rentals.
Roydon Tse 