Yellow Crane Tower

Instrumentation: tenor, baritone, chorus, orchestra
Duration: 5 minutes 30 seconds
Year: 2020

Program Notes

Yellow Crane Tower is an 8th century AD Tang Dynasty poem by Cui Hao, and is based on the iconic tower of the same name in Wuhan, China. The poem’s powerful effect comes from the use of imagery from the natural world to illustrate the poet’s melancholy. Words such as the “clouds wandering for a thousand years”, to the “Hanyang Tree” and “Misty River” conjure scenes from a romantic idyll. The tenor and baritone deliver the lines of the poet while the chorus reiterates and supports the soloists, adding another layer of sound to the orchestra.

The piece won grand prize in the iSing! International Composition Competition.

Video

Performance History

• November 24, 2020, Suzhou Symphony & iSing!
  Suzhou Grand Theatre, China
  Lin Daye, conductor
• February 26, 2021, Suzhou Symphony & iSing!
  Chinese TV & Online Broadcast (CCTV)
  Lunar New Year Broadcast
• January 6, 2023, The Philadelphia Orchestra & iSing!
  Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, USA
  Liu Kuokman, conductor
• January 7, 2023, The Philadelphia Orchestra & iSing!
  Alice Tully Hall, New York, USA
  Liu Kuokman, conductor
• September 14, 2024, Macao Orchestra & iSing!
  University of Macau, Macau, China
  Tony Yeh, conductor
• September 19, 2024, Hubei Symphony Orchestra & iSing! 
  Qintai Concert Hall, Wuhan, China
  Sun Yifan, conductor
• November 2, 2024, The Philadelphia Orchestra and iSing!
  National Performing Arts Center, Beijing
  Marin Alsop, conductor
• December 5, 2025, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra & iSing!
  Guiyang Grand Theatre, Guiyang, China
  Yang Yang, conductor
• December 14, 2025, Chengdu Symphony Orchestra & iSing!
  Chengdu City Concert Hall, Chengdu, China
  Lin Chen, conductor

Score Sample

Score and Parts

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