Ssu-Yu Huang
Vivid Formosa
Duration: 8'
Instrumentation details:
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
Vivid Formosa
Translation, reprints and more
Ssu-Yu Huang
Vivid Formosa
Available digitally
Orchestration: for string quartet
Type: Dirigierpartitur
Video
Work introduction
This string quartet piece was inspired by the beautiful mountains of Taiwan. The three sections of the music describe the Jade Mountain, the Seven Star Mountain, and the Ali Mountain, respectively. The first section presents various voices rhythmically syncopated into stacked layers, like the emerging of a prominent monument from surrounding mountains. The second section uses a fine-grained rhythmic structure. Plucking melodies are scattered in all parts contrasted by sustaining overtones, expressing an intricate landscape of volcanic terrains and hot springs. The third section depicts the natural wonders including the sea of clouds, the sunrise, the sunset, and the magnificent trees of the Ali Mountain. An intertwined structure is woven through convoluted layers. Yet its regularity can be heard, just like the fascinating sounds of winding streams through weathered rock formations.